Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach Visits Windom

Willmar, MN -- Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach visited Windom Area Health to meet with leadership and medical staff to discuss their collaborative leadership model and regional outreach to communities like Fairmont, Trimont, Slayton, and Lakefield. The conversation focused on the need for rural families to have access to quality care and the hospital's recruitment of nursing staff and specialty physicians. Rep. Fischbach highlighted her work on the One Big Beautiful Bill, where, through her position on the Ways and Means Committee, she successfully established the Rural Health Transformation Program to authorize $50 billion to modernize rural medical networks nationwide. She also shared that for Fiscal Year 2026, she worked to secure $193 million in federal funding specifically to strengthen Greater Minnesota's healthcare workforce and ensure rural hospitals have the resources to keep their doors open. While in Windom, the Congresswoman also visited the Ag Builders facility to discuss workforce shortages, particularly for qualified trade- and tech-trained employees, and detailed their partnerships with local schools alongside broader community barriers like housing and daycare. Rep. Fischbach used the visit to reinforce her commitment to pro-rural workforce development policies, like the newly established Workforce Pell Grants, which enable students to access accredited workforce programs for industries in need.