Messmer tours Jasper DaVita, highlights local kidney care services

Rep. Mark Messmer used a stop at Jasper’s DaVita Dialysis center to spotlight kidney care in Dubois County, but the visit also raised a larger question for patients who depend on regular treatment: what federal action will help keep dialysis accessible in rural Indiana.

Messmer visited DaVita Jasper Dialysis at 671 3rd Ave. Suite A in Jasper, a Medicare-certified facility that offers in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis training. Public listings show the center has 15 dialysis stations and has been certified since Aug. 10, 1992, making it one of the community’s long-running treatment sites for patients with end-stage renal disease.

The congressman praised the healthcare workers for their dedication to Hoosier families during the tour. For Dubois County residents who need dialysis several times a week, the center’s location and mix of services are more than a routine medical listing. They are part of the local healthcare infrastructure that keeps treatment within reach without forcing patients to travel far for care.

Messmer, who was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, 2025, represents Indiana’s 8th Congressional District. His Jasper office at 2133 Newton Street is open by appointment only, giving local residents a nearby point of contact on federal issues that affect healthcare, Medicare coverage and constituent service.

That local connection matters because dialysis policy is shaped far beyond Jasper. Medicare rules, reimbursement decisions and support for rural healthcare access can all influence whether centers like DaVita Jasper Dialysis can continue serving patients close to home. The visit put Messmer inside a facility where those questions are not abstract. They are tied to transportation, treatment schedules and the stability of a care site that has served Jasper for more than three decades.

The tour fit a broader pattern of Messmer highlighting healthcare and constituent-service issues across his district. In Jasper, that focus landed at a Medicare-certified dialysis center that has become part of the county’s medical backbone, serving patients who cannot afford for that access to disappear.