Rep. Nunn’s vote to gut Medicaid closes another rural health care clinic in his district

River Hills Community Health Center announced it will close its Centerville clinic citing "unprecedented financial strain". This Federally Qualified Health Center has been a community lifeline for primary care, mental health support, and dental care. 

The closure comes less than a year after Representative Zach Nunn voted for the largest Medicaid cuts in history. While Nunn told Iowans that rural hospital closures were a "myth”, the reality is that four health care clinics have announced closures in his district since his vote to gut Medicaid: 

• MercyOne Ottumwa Clinic closed earlier this year. 

• MercyOne South Des Moines is closing their Urgent Care and their Family Medicine clinic next month, citing federal cuts directly as the cause. 

• River Hills Community Health Center in Centerville, which provides mental health, medical and dental services, will close in July. 

These closures come alongside reductions in services and shuttering labor and delivery units across the state. This forces Iowans to travel further and wait longer for care, or put it off until they end up in the ER, or worse. The strained system is creating a health emergency for the entire state caused by Nunn’s vote to cut health care to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. 

Sarah, a pastor and community leader in Appanoose County, said that her and other pastors met to discuss the closure in Centerville and the impacts that loss will have in their community. 

"Families are already struggling with higher costs,” Sarah said.  “When a clinic closes in a rural community like ours, it doesn't just close a building. It closes access. It closes the door on seniors who can't drive, on working parents who can't miss another shift, on kids who need care today. We are worried about how longer wait times and further drives will create more barriers to seeking care when someone is sick. I’m angry that our representative in Washington called this pain a 'myth' while voting to make it worse."