Kennedy Visits Tidewater Community College to Address Healthcare Worker Shortage

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach on Thursday to discuss ways of easing a shortage of healthcare workers in Virginia.

Kennedy appeared alongside Rep. Jen Kiggans, who represents Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. The two led a roundtable on how to draw more people into healthcare careers. The session was closed to the media, though both spoke with reporters once it ended.

Kiggans pointed to the region's large military population as a distinguishing factor. "We're a little bit unique here because we have such a large military population, so we have a lot of people who leave the active-duty service who want to transfer into healthcare," she said, asking what is being done to make the certification process easier for them.

Kennedy said Virginia is short roughly 1,700 nurses, and that the administration is partly focused on incentivizing healthcare workers to serve in rural communities. By his account, Virginia is receiving nearly $200 million as part of those efforts. "It is a genuine health crisis, particularly in rural areas," he said. "It's a priority for the president."

The secretary also spoke about improving the food available on military bases. "We're investing in their health. We're investing a lot in them, and we ought to be able to feed them good food that is going to enhance their performance and keep them healthy," Kennedy said.

Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, was asked about concerns over food shortages aboard ships during long deployments. She noted that service members can spend extended periods at sea, sometimes in harm's way. "I can't guarantee you're going to have lobster and steak every meal, but we will make sure you're taken care of," she said.

The appearance came less than three weeks before Election Day, with Kiggans facing Democrat Elaine Luria in the 2nd District race. When a reporter tried to ask Kiggans about polling in the contest and the conflict with Iran, a staffer stepped in to stop the question. "We're not going to talk about that," the staffer said, adding that questions would be kept to the topic of the visit.

A spokesperson for Luria responded with a statement criticizing the visit. "Jen Kiggans bringing in a member of Donald Trump's cabinet two weeks before Election Day tells you everything you need to know about who she is," the statement said. It went on to say Kiggans "has voted with Trump 100% of the time for higher costs, devastating health care cuts, and more corruption," and that she "puts Trump first and Virginia last every chance she gets."