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Ground Level Blog
Dave Peters

WEIGH IN: Name one thing to change rural health care

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What's one answer to improving health care in rural Minnesota? More primary care providers? Changing how we pay for health care? Letting paramedics and nurses do more? If you have answer, tell us about it here.

Last week we asked our Ground Level panel of doctors, nurses and other health professionals to tell us an anecdote about barriers they see their patients facing. We heard a lot, both from them and readers who joined the conversation here on Ground Level and on Facebook.

Now we've asked the same nine providers to tell us one thing they would change so their patients would receive better care. Dr. Heidi Korstad in Bigfork would increase support for the state health insurance program, MNCare. Joyce Kramer, a nurse in Stillwater, would change the way we pay physicians. Ruth Pallansch, a retired nurse in Henning, thinks the answer lies in honoring and supporting nursing. Curt Louwagie, a Marshall opthalmologist, thinks making it harder to file frivolous lawsuits would help.

Read what these folks have to say here and add your own comment at the bottom.

And you can still join last week's conversation here. Just last night a nurse in Winona wrote about a woman unable to get transportation to the doctor even though she was suffering a stroke.

Next week we'll pose a third question.