Hospital Council works to support the advocacy agenda of the California Hospital Association (CHA), and one of the top advocacy priorities for both our organizations is rural health care. About 2 million people live in and visit California’s rural communities, and the lifesaving and life-changing hospital care they rely on is at risk of being lost due to financial instability. California has roughly five dozen rural and critical access hospitals (CAHs), but many of these hospitals are on the financial brink, reducing services just to stay open or facing the possibility of closure.
Since 2019, 50% of rural hospitals have operated in the red. Nearly two-thirds of CAHs — rural hospitals that serve communities located at least 35 miles from another medical facility — have also been operating at a deficit. In fact, two California hospitals (Corcoran District Hospital and Madera Community Hospital) have been forced to close in the past 10 years, impacting access to care.
To address this issue, Hospital Council has formed a rural hospital engagement group, as many rural hospitals are located in the Hospital Council area. This internal group ensures that the rural perspective is communicated, discussed, and integrated into our collective advocacy and policy development. The group also makes sure issues affecting rural hospitals and CAHs are flagged and then shared with them through direct communication, newsletters, and section meetings.
The challenges facing rural hospitals impact the overall health care environment in California. We will continue to work with our rural hospitals to ensure their patients have access to health care. No matter what community they are living in, people deserve access to reliable, high-quality health care whenever and wherever they need it.