May 1, 2023
California Finds 6% Higher Mortality After Closure
In January, Madera Community Hospital — the only hospital in all of Madera County, Calif. — was forced to close due to financial loss. Now the nearest emergency health care facilities are at least 30 miles away. A recent study found the mortality rate increased in rural California communities by 5.9 percent upon the closure of a hospital. Additionally, the American Hospital Association says persistent high costs, the end of the PHE, and the expected departure of millions of Americans from the Medicaid rolls spell trouble for hospitals. NRHA will share strategies to maintain rural health care access and keep rural hospitals open at NRHA’s 8th Rural Hospital Innovation Summit May 16-19 in San Diego.