Healthcare

Healthcare You Can Actually Reach

I do not think any family should have to drive an hour to see a doctor. Putnam County has fewer primary care doctors per person than almost anywhere in Central Indiana. That is not a statistic — that is your neighbor waiting weeks for an appointment, your parent unable to get mental health care, your local hospital fighting just to keep the lights on.

The Problem

Putnam County Hospital is a 12-bed Critical Access Hospital serving a county with just 32 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents — tied for the lowest ratio in all of Central Indiana. Residents regularly travel 45 miles to Indianapolis or 30 miles to Terre Haute for advanced care. Montgomery County is better served by Franciscan Health Crawfordsville, a 103-bed facility, but the county still faces provider shortages.

Every single one of Indiana's 92 counties is federally designated as a mental health professional shortage area. Putnam County has the second-worst mental health outcomes in Central Indiana while ranking in the lowest tier for access to providers. The state would need 197 more mental health practitioners just to meet basic standards. The annual cost of untreated mental illness in Indiana is $4.2 billion.

The substance abuse picture is stark. Montgomery County participates in six of Indiana's seven state substance abuse initiatives, but Putnam County participates in only one — just naloxone distribution — despite serious alcohol and methamphetamine problems. Meanwhile, opioid prescription rates in Montgomery County exceed the statewide rate.

Indiana's maternal health crisis is among the worst in the nation, with the third-highest maternal mortality rate and seventh-highest infant mortality rate in the country. The state has lost 12 rural OB units — one-third of all rural units. While both counties currently maintain OB services, the pressures driving closures continue to mount.

Now, proposed federal cuts threaten $1.1 billion in Medicaid spending for Indiana's rural hospitals over the next decade. Our Critical Access Hospitals already operate at roughly negative 16% on operations. This is not sustainable.

Where Kelsey Stands

Kelsey believes healthcare is not a luxury — it is what keeps families working, kids in school, and communities whole. She has seen up close what happens when people fall through the cracks, through her years directing the CASA program and working with at-risk youth and families. She will fight for practical, achievable improvements to healthcare access in our district.

What She'll Fight For

• Protect rural hospitals from funding cuts that threaten their survival
• Expand mental health services in both counties, starting with school-based mental health support
• Close the substance abuse gap in Putnam County by advocating for participation in state programs Montgomery County already uses
• Defend maternal healthcare so no family in our district loses access to OB services
• Support programs like Project Swaddle in Crawfordsville and expand maternal support across the district
• Fight Medicaid cuts that would devastate rural healthcare infrastructure

"Keeping our families healthy and strong should not depend on whether you can afford to drive an hour each way to see a specialist. We need healthcare that works for people who live here — not just people who can afford to go somewhere else."