Every year, I make sure to visit all 17 counties in the Silver State and meet with Nevadans to discuss their needs and concerns. It is one of my top priorities in the Senate to make sure that I am delivering for our rural communities and our many seniors that live there.

Over eight percent of Nevadans 65 and older live in rural communities, and they face unique challenges. They often lack adequate access to transportation and health care services, and in Nevada, rural areas have the highest rate of older adults living in poverty. I will always fight to combat these inequities because all Nevadans should be able to age in the communities they call home.

One of the best ways that I can help support seniors in rural Nevada is by securing grant funding to put federal dollars to work on projects in their communities. In a recent government funding bill, I secured $167.62 million in Community Project Funding to support 85 programs and projects across Nevada. $2.5 million went toward the construction of the Lockwood Senior Center in Storey County.

In April, I got to tour the site of the new Lockwood Senior Center, which will open later this year.

While the center was still under construction, I could already tell that it would become a hub of support and community among Storey County’s seniors. When completed, the Lockwood Senior Center will provide critical resources, including meals on wheels, transportation services, case management, and mental health care. It will support the whole Lockwood community by providing county services, school meals, and a health office.

All of Northern Nevada’s communities are connected, and though this center is in Lockwood, it is only about 10 miles from Reno. We all benefit when Nevada’s small towns have what they need to serve their residents right at home.

Another of my top priorities to support seniors in rural areas is to expand access to health care in these communities. Just under a third of rural Nevadans reported unsuccessfully trying to access primary care in the year preceding the survey. Unsurprisingly, one of the key barriers to care for rural Nevadans was travel distance to the provider. Nevadans should not be struggling to access care just because of their zip code.

That’s why I am pushing bipartisan legislation to ease the burden of long travel distances for seniors in rural communities seeking health care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, insurance coverage for telehealth care was temporarily expanded. For people in rural areas seeking non-emergent health care, however, telehealth can be a lifeline even outside the context of a global pandemic. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and I are pushing legislation that would make expanded insurance coverage for telehealth permanent.

When someone in a rural community does experience a life-threatening emergency, it is crucial that they have fast and effective access to ambulance services. I have introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to close the gap between Medicare reimbursement and the cost of providing services for ambulance service providers. This support will increase access to ground ambulance services in rural and underserved areas.

I will continue to fight for seniors across the Silver State, from Reno to Lockwood to Elko.