{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-jill-tokuda-launches-bipartisan-rural-health-caucus-house-floor", "Rep. Jill Tokuda Launches Bipartisan  Rural Health Caucus on House Floor", "2023-07-28", "2023", "2023-07", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10&", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.)\u2013 On Wednesday, Representative Jill Tokuda took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to talk about the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, which she officially launched on June 20, 2023.\n\nTokuda is co-leading the Caucus with Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) to provide a forum for Members of Congress to advocate for legislation and policy actions that improve access to quality, affordable health care and mental health services for people living in rural and remote communities across the country.\n\n\u201cAs the representative of one of the most rural and remote districts in the country, I have seen and heard firsthand the devastating consequences of inadequate access to care. On every island in Hawai\u02bbi, I have listened to difficult and painful stories of families who\u2019ve lost loved ones simply because of where they live,\u201d said Representative Jill Tokuda\n\nWhen it comes to my hopes for rural health care, it comes down to the four A\u2019s:\n\nAccessibility: the distance a patient must travel by car, plane, or ferry to receive medical services;\n\nAffordability: the cost for a patient to get the care they need;\n\nAcceptability: the extent to which a patient receives culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care; and,\n\nAvailability: the extent to which a provider has the requisite resources, such as personnel and technology, to meet the individual needs of patients.\n\n\u201cFor many of my constituents, they are just one diagnosis way from a major illness and the impossible financial and family decisions that will come with it, yet they live in geographically isolated areas\u2014their homes, where they continue to be denied their right to health care. These disparities in health care access highlight the need for greater attention and resources aimed at improving health care and outcomes in rural and remote communities. That\u2019s why I am proud to co-lead the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus.\u201d\n\nRep. Tokuda\u2019s speech can be viewed here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-jill-tokuda-launches-bipartisan-rural-health-caucus-house-floor"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8584121242165565, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}