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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services

How Community Health Centers Respond to Rural Hospital Closures
Describes how community health centers work to fill gaps in healthcare services and impact the economy when a local rural hospital closes.
Author(s): Nick Widmyer, Lena Ben-Gideon
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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OHA Director 2024 Statewide Listening Tour
Outlines planned priorities following a 2024 listening tour by the Oregon Health Authority Director in the areas of public health, Medicaid, policy and analytics, and behavioral health. Discusses capturing rural and urban health disparities, alternative payment models for healthcare providers, and rural healthcare facility closures.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Health Authority
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Effects of Rural Hospital Closures on Nurse Staffing Levels and Health Care Utilization at Nearby Hospitals
Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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The Potential for Hospital System Integration to Improve the Financial Outlook of Rural Hospitals in the United States
Provides an overview of the current financial status of rural hospitals and their risk of closure, as defined by days of cash on hand and total margins. Discusses the impact of rural hospital closures on local communities, including on health outcomes, demographics, and the economy. Explores the extent to which affiliating with, merging with, or being acquired by a larger hospital system can impact the financial position of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Al Dobson, Michael Beins, Patrick McMahon, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare, Dobson DaVanzo & Associates
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National Rural Health Day: Highlighting Challenges Facing Rural Communities
A blog post that provides an overview of rural health challenges in Indiana and nationwide, such as workforce challenges, hospital closures, lack of access to emergency services, and more. Includes rural versus urban and county-level data points as well as references to additional resources.
Author(s): Zachary Ammerman
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Interconnected: The Future of Nursing Homes & Elder Care Across Minnesota
A recorded webinar in which an expert panel discusses the issue of an aging populace in Minnesota alongside a decrease in skilled nursing care capacity. Focuses on regional supply and demand data, business models and facility closures, and policy to improve elder care in Minnesota. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Kim Brenne, Erin Huppert, Kathy Messerli, Barb Jezorski, Jason Anderson
Date: 11/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Minnesota Capacity of Nursing Facilities that Close
Discusses bed availability and capacity of nursing home facilities in rural Minnesota. Provides data on both open and closed nursing home facilities according to entirely rural, town/rural mix, urban/town/rural mix, or entirely urban location.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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The Declining Capacity of Nursing Facility Care in Rural Minnesota
Discusses the increasing demand for professional long-term care in Minnesota alongside the decreasing capacity of nursing facility availability. Provides information and statistics on projected demand through 2045, number of available nursing facilities and beds, changes in demand trends, workforce needs, and more, with breakdowns according to county and urbanicity.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Community Responses and Adaptations Following the Closure of a Rural Pharmacy and Primary Care Facility
Uses interviews with 26 community members to identify the impact of a pharmacy and primary healthcare facility closure in a rural Pennsylvania community. Discusses challenges for vulnerable populations, distance to care, social networks, delayed treatment, emergency medical services, alternative medicine, and more.
Author(s): Hazel Velasco Palacios, Kristina Brant, Danielle Rhubart, Jorden Jackson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2024
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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The First Year of Rural Emergency Hospitals: REHs Serve Relatively Disadvantaged Counties
Findings brief examining the kinds of communities with hospitals that converted to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) in 2023. Features demographics and statistics including breakdown by rural location.
Author(s): Young Kim, Julie Perry, Kristie Thompson, George Pink
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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