RITZVILLE — Dr. Pam Kohlmeier said her focus, if she was elected to the Washington House of Representatives, would be on health care. Kohlmeier is running for one of two House of Representative seats in the Ninth District.  

Kohlmeier, a Democrat, is running against Republican incumbent Joe Schmick. 

“I am really focused on improving access to mental health,” she said. 

One of her children was a suicide victim, she said, and in her opinion the care available to the family was inadequate. 

“As a parent, I got to witness how bad access is,” she said. “And the Ninth (District) is so big. And even though we live in Spokane County, our service access was not good. And it’s even worse as you get out into the rural areas.” 

Kohlmeier said that for her, improving health care access also involves improving broadband access. Better connectivity would improve access to telemedicine, she said, a good option for rural areas. 

“For mental health, telemedicine is ideal because most people prefer to have more privacy with those visits, for whatever reason. Most of the care is based on a communication with the provider, which you can do through telemedicine. It doesn’t require someone to examine part of your physical being, so psychologists and psychiatrists can be accessed with telemedicine.” 

An emergency medicine physician, Kohlmeier said she learned of a pilot program in public libraries that provided a good internet connection and a private room. 

“Even if someone didn’t have the finances to have a computer in their home, they might be able to drive the 10 miles to use one of these telemedicine (rooms) at the public library, as opposed to having to drive all the way into Pullman or all the way into Spokane, if they’re lucky enough to find a provider taking patients,” she said. 

Better connectivity also would expand opportunities in rural areas in other ways, she said. She’s used it to telecommute. 

“I worked virtually for the last few years, so even though I was based in Olympia, I worked in my home office in Spokane County. People could do that in Pomeroy or Dayton or wherever,” she said. 

Remote work would allow people to stay in a place they like, she said, rather than being forced to leave to find employment. 

“It is interesting because in rural communities, you wouldn’t think about technology being the wave of the future, but it actually is. Because if they have reliable access, all of a sudden not only are telemedicine and virtual jobs available, but even education,” she said. “People wouldn’t have to commit to four years of going to (Washington State University) or (Eastern Washington University) and living on campus. They can do online programs through whatever college they want,” Kohlmeier said. “People that live in rural areas, it shouldn’t be a choice of putting your education on hold or not pursuing something.” 

Kohlmeier said she’s a proponent of finishing the Rails to Trails project, which involves converting railroad beds that are no longer used to biking and hiking trails. In her opinion improving recreation access would have other benefits. 

“On the tail end of (the COVID-19 epidemic) people have had way too much isolation,” she said. “Now is a great time to prioritize that project and projects like that, because it will help improve mental health and build a sense of community.” 

While she lives in Spokane County, she said she thinks her experiences would make her a good representative for the Ninth District. 

“I really feel connected with rural communities, even though I live in Spokane County, which people think of as a big city,” she said. “The reality is, the Ninth District is so diverse; it’s rural and urban. One thing I bring is an understanding of those different communities. Which is important, because having that understanding of being connected with a rural community, but also having experience in urban areas, I can talk with people in the Seattle area,” she said. “I understand their challenges, but I also understand that we have unique issues in these rural communities that people in Seattle just don’t understand. Having conversations with them in a way they can understand will bring progress to us.”