As a Wyoming State Senator in 1991, Lisa Kinney complained that rural health was ignored by the Senate Education and Health Committee during a meeting in Cheyenne. Senator Kinney called for the committee “to focus on rural community health issues prior to the upcoming budget session” (Laramie Daily Boomerang 10/10/1991). The article continued, stating that “In response to her call, the bipartisan legislative committee voted to ask the Legislative Management Council for two full meeting days for the entire interim committee to meet and hold hearings on rural health care topics.”  Indeed, the Health Committee of both parties worked together to resolve issues facing Wyoming.

Previously, Senator Kinney sponsored and passed a bill allowing optometrists to prescribe medication. Dr. Sue Lowe, Laramie optometrist, asked her to sponsor this legislation to allow optometrists to provide cost-effective, essential, and accurate treatments for patients. Prior to Senator Kinney’s bill, if a patient saw an optometrist and needed medication, the patient had to get a second appointment with a family doctor for the prescription. “Passing my bill served rural patients because the optometrist could prescribe the medication immediately without the patient seeing a second doctor,” Kinney stated. “I will continue and am determined to help resolve rural health care issues when I am elected to the US House,” Kinney concluded.