This Week, We Mark a Grim Milestone: Over 1,250 Hospitals, Clinics, and Providers Have Closed, Cut Services, or Are at Risk
When they ransacked $1 trillion from health care to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, Trump and Republicans in Congress deliberately went after the care seniors, children, and people with disabilities rely on. They ignited a health care catastrophe, spiking costs for everyone and sending providers scrambling to stay afloat. This week, we mark a grim milestone: over 1,250 hospitals, clinics, and providers have closed their doors, cut services, or are at risk of doing so since the passage of H.R.1. Behind every pin is a story. In Rumford, Maine, an expectant mother is forced to travel 1 hour to access maternity care. In Kearney, Nebraska, seniors were given just 30 days to relocate from their nursing home, losing the community they considered family. Entire regions are losing access to lifesaving care. Every hospital and clinic closure affects our parents, our neighbors, and our kids. They deserve better than to witness their care disappear to fund tax breaks for the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. One thing is certain: Working families are sick of it. Come November, they won’t hesitate to voice their outrage and hold Republicans accountable for igniting a health care crisis.
National
Forbes: Hospitals And Doctors Brace For Uptick In Unpaid Bills From Rising Costs
Journal of the American Medical Association: Rural Emergency Hospitals: Promise, Peril, and a Path Forward
KCTV: Mobile Clinics Draw Hundreds to Kansas City as Rural Hospitals Close
Alabama
Patch: Fayette Medical Center Future Uncertain As DCH Lease Set To Expire
WVTM: DCH Says Existing Fayette Medical Center Agreement Is ‘Impossible to Maintain’ in Alabama
WVUA: DCH & Fayette Medical Center’s Partnership Could Soon End
Arkansas
KATV: Families Continue Searching for New Homes as Chapters Living of Maumelle Preps for Closure
California
Becker’s Hospital Review: California Hospital Could Close in 6 to 12 Months, CEO Warns
KSBW: Watsonville Community Hospital Weighs Service Cuts Amid $31 Million Annual Deficit
The Pajaronian: Watsonville Hospital Facing Closure as Staff Urges Financial Improvements
Lookout Santa Cruz: Watsonville Community Hospital NICU Remains Closed, Adding Anxiety for Expecting Families
Knock LA: Months After LA County Cut Clinical Services at Seven Public Health Sites, It Has Not Shown Whether Patients Found Replacement Care
Maine
Portland Press Herald: Maine Is Losing Maternity Wards Quicker Than Most States. Mothers Face Long Drives for Care.
News Center Maine: Pregnant Lincoln County Woman Expands Lawsuit Over Birthing Unit Closure
Portland Press Herald: Woman Alleges MaineHealth Is Violating ACA With Plan to Close Damariscotta Birthing Center
Michigan
MLive: A Rural Michigan Town Lost Its Hospital. The Impact Goes Beyond Healthcare.
WWMT: Sturgis City Leaders Look to Revive Shuttered Hospital Months After Closure
Minnesota
Minnesota Star Tribune: Minnesota’s Disappearing Delivery Wards Leave Pregnant Patients Far From Care
KAAL: 6 INSIDE: Mayo Clinic Health System Removes Overnight In-Person Respiratory Therapists From Albert Lea, Lake City and Fairmont Locations
Missouri
Becker’s Hospital Review: Newly Acquired Missouri Hospital to End Labor and Delivery Services Due to ‘Ongoing Financial Losses’
Nebraska
Omaha World-Herald: 2 Nebraska Assisted Living Centers Close Amid Rising Costs, Medicaid Pressures
News Channel Nebraska: Cambridge Court Assisted Living Closure Forces Nearly 40 Kearney Seniors to Relocate
Nevada
Nevada Independent: Nevada Officials Close Youth Mental Hospital for Urgent Overhaul, Citing Patient Safety
KLAS: Henderson Hospital NICU Closure Days Away
New Hampshire
WTSA: Cheshire Medical Center Cuts 12 Jobs as It Winds Down Inpatient Rehab Unit
Keene Sentinel: Cheshire Medical Center Cuts 12 Positions and Plans to Close an Inpatient Rehab Unit
Becker’s Hospital Review: Dartmouth Hospital to Close Rehab Unit; Lays off 7 Leaders
New York
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: Waterview Heights Workers Sue Over Nursing Home Layoffs
WHEC: Consumer Investigation: Some Waterview Residents Transferred to Hospitals; Closing Date Moved to Tuesday
WHEC: Nursing Home Bed Shortage in Rochester Reaches Crisis Level After Waterview Heights Shutdown
WHAM: People Protest Ongoing Issues at Waterview Heights
WHEC: Advocates Rally in Rochester Demanding Nursing Home Reform
Ohio
Youngstown Vindicator: Town Hall Forum Denounces Healthcare Desert in Mahoning Valley
Pennsylvania
PennLive: Pa. Long-Term Care Facility to Close; 80 People to Be Laid Off
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Current: Can New Owners Turn Around Struggling Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals? Neronha Is Not Convinced.
Texas
JAMA: Rural Hospital Closures and Mortality From Time-Sensitive Conditions in Texas
Virginia
Washington Post: How the Fate of a Rural Hospital Could Help Flip the House