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Hospital closures and cuts could hurt rural areas

Financial strain caused by COVID-19 has resulted in the closure of numerous rural hospitals across the U.S., causing concern among providers and rural residents that there may be fewer health care options in the future.

Unexpected financial costs related to COVID-19 have resulted in the closure of some hospitals and large financial cuts among others.

The American Hospital Associated reports that hospitals across the U.S. have faced around $120 billion in losses halfway into 2020.

As COVID-19 drags on, despite many hospitals resuming normal operations that previously had been put on hold in the early stages of the pandemic, some areas continue to experience effects of COVID-19 shutdowns such as job cuts and service cutbacks.

Those financial decisions threaten to reduce competition and patients’ access to care—especially in rural areas, where hospitals were already struggling and where patients sometimes have to travel great distances to see a health-care provider, reports Bloomberg Law.

The inpatient unit at Saint Luke’s Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan., closed July 17, its complete closure to take place on Oct. 1.

The shutdown comes after the Saint Luke’s Health System invested more than $20 million over the last five years to improve the building and its emergency services to better serve the area, reports Bloomberg.

Once COVID-19 hit, the hospital boosted protective gear and staffing to gird for a surge of cases, which came with a large increase in expense while simultaneously forcing deferment of procedures, Saint Luke’s said in a statement.

“These factors resulted in significant financial strain and ultimately led to the decision to close,” Saint Luke’s said of its Leavenworth hospital.

Several other closures have occurred for rural hospitals across the U.S., closures occurring in Texas, West Virginia and more.

Even before the pandemic, nearly half of rural facilities were operating at a loss following a record 18 closures in 2019, Maggie Elehwany, vice president of government affairs and policy at the National Rural Health Association, said.

“What I am so concerned about is just keeping rural providers’ doors open so that they’ll be there when the pandemic hits,” Elehwany said.