By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Galion’s DaVita Dialysis Center had a special visitor from Washington, D.C., on Friday morning by way of Urbana. Congressman Jim Jordan, who represents Ohio’s 4th Congressional District, took a tour of the facility.
“It’s always interesting to see what’s going in your district, especially in the healthcare area which is such a big issue in light of Obamacare,” Jordan said. “We’ve been doing this all week, out and about in the district.”
DaVita Division Vice President Sarah Beidleschies noted that the DaVita facility in Galion has been open for just over a year. Currently the center serves about 20 patients there and several more in their own homes.
While he was talking with the center’s staff, Jordan noted his sister-in-law had recently taken a position at a DaVita center in the Springfield, Ohio, area.
Asked about what he views as the role Congress should take in the healthcare puzzle, Jordan made it clear he feels that the current administration in Washington has overstepped its bounds.
“What we shouldn’t be doing is Obamacare which is a disaster,” Jordan said, citing premiums, access to doctors of choice, Web site availability and security. “Everything we were told about Obamacare turned out not to be true.”
Instead, Jordan would like to see a model that emphasizes personal responsibility and choice with decisions on healthcare left to the patient, the doctor and the insurance provider and not the federal government.
“What we have to get back to is a model that emphasizes freedom.” Jordan said.
The DaVita facility is located on the grounds of the former Children’s Services Department and old Crawford County Children’s Home in Galion. That property is under the control of Avita Health Services. DaVita is a national dialysis treatment provider.