Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Closures of healthcare facilities and services
146 Rural Hospitals Closed or Stopped Providing Inpatient Services from 2005 to 2023 in the United States
Line chart showing the number of rural hospital closures and rural inpatient unit closures between 2005 and 2023.
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julie Cho
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Line chart showing the number of rural hospital closures and rural inpatient unit closures between 2005 and 2023.
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julie Cho
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Chartis Center for Rural Health Research & Resources for the 2025 National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute Conference
Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care, and Deteriorating Population Health Status, and presentation slides on this report from the 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care, and Deteriorating Population Health Status, and presentation slides on this report from the 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care and Deteriorating Population Health Status
Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Federal Assistance and Rural Hospital Closings: The Impact of the USDA Community Facilities Program
Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Examines how the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Program's effects on rural hospital closures. Includes data on rural hospital closures and CF investments by region, and analyzes facility survival probability of hospitals which did or did not receive CF funding.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anil Rupasingha, Julia Cho
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States
Offers data showing losses and gains of obstetric care for 4,964 short-term acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2022. Offers comparisons of rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, et al.
Date: 12/2024
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Offers data showing losses and gains of obstetric care for 4,964 short-term acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2022. Offers comparisons of rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, et al.
Date: 12/2024
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Mapping Geographic Access to Illinois Birthing Hospitals, 2016–2023
Examines geographic access to birthing hospitals between 2016 to 2023 for women of reproductive age in Illinois. Includes maps showing driving times to hospitals and closed hospitals in the state, as well as changing levels of access for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Barbara C. Keino, Mechelle D. Claridy, Laurin Kasehagen, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 12/2024
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Examines geographic access to birthing hospitals between 2016 to 2023 for women of reproductive age in Illinois. Includes maps showing driving times to hospitals and closed hospitals in the state, as well as changing levels of access for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Barbara C. Keino, Mechelle D. Claridy, Laurin Kasehagen, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 12/2024
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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
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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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
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
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Health Authority
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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
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
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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
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Bridging the Gap: Health Challenges and Solutions in Rural Illinois
A podcast episode of a conversation between Kristen Nolen, Section Chief for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Center for Rural Health, and Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. Discusses healthcare deserts, telemedicine, medical infrastructure, and facility shortages in rural areas. Transcript available below description.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
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A podcast episode of a conversation between Kristen Nolen, Section Chief for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Center for Rural Health, and Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. Discusses healthcare deserts, telemedicine, medical infrastructure, and facility shortages in rural areas. Transcript available below description.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
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