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Ernst Tours Newly Opened Vets Facility in Mason City

The Iowa senator has spearheaded multiple efforts to improve veterans’ care, including her VETS Act to expand access to telehealth services that was signed into law.

MASON CITY, Iowa – On her eighth consecutive 99 County Tour, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate, toured one of the newest veterans care facilities in Iowa yesterday. The Iowa senator, a longtime and outspoken champion for Iowa’s and America’s veterans, visited and met with officials at the Mason City VA Clinic, an outpatient clinic that opened late last year and offers primary care and specialty health services for veterans.

2022-05-31 JKE Mason City

“Our country makes a solemn promise to the selfless men and women who put on the uniform to serve and protect our nation that when they come home they will get the care they need. Fulfilling that promise is one of my top priorities as a U.S. Senator and as someone who wore the uniform myself,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “Seeing this new facility firsthand and knowing our veterans in north Iowa have access to these state-of-the-art services is a heartening experience, and I’m so proud that the hardworking folks here are making that possible for our heroes.”

“This new facility opened last November and incorporates the best, most innovative design to serve our veterans,” said Director Darwin Goodspeed, VA Central Iowa Health Care System. “This clinic offers primary care, chiropractic care, private women’s health exam rooms, a larger physical therapy space with expanded equipment options, and a group therapy space. Radiology will be offered soon. We also offer Whole Health services including pain management, exercise, weight loss, and group therapies. We are proud that we can offer veterans the care they have earned here in Mason City.”

Ernst has spearheaded multiple pieces of legislation to improve care for those who served our nation, including her bipartisan VETS Act—or the Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act—that was rolled into a larger bill and was signed into law. Ernst’s bill, now law, improves veterans’ access to health care services by expanding access to telehealth services, including mental health treatment.

Ernst’s visit yesterday to Cerro Gordo County marked her 62nd stop this year on her 99 County Tour for 2022.

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