Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will begin a tour of the state Dec. 4 to address top healthcare concerns of his constituents, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The four-day trip will include stops in Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Louis and the governor's hometown of Bolivar, where he will hold a summit on issues facing rural hospitals. Other topics to be addressed on the tour include opioid abuse and insurance costs.
Though many residents have called for Missouri to expand Medicaid coverage to help rural hospitals, the governor's administration said it is looking for other ways to support the facilities.
"We need to be innovative in our approach to strengthen, improve and support our rural hospitals," said Randall Williams, MD, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.