Rural hospitals work to bridge health disparities in underserved areas, particularly in communities with higher rates of chronic illness and lower socioeconomic status. California has roughly five dozen rural hospitals, including 37 critical access hospitals (CAHs) — rural hospitals that serve communities at least 35 miles from another medical facility. Unfortunately, many rural hospitals need more staffing and funding, the lack of which can threaten their ability to provide sustainable care and maintain facility improvements.
Last year, Hospital Council 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 ensures issues affecting rural hospitals and CAHs are flagged and shared with them through direct communication, newsletters, and section meetings.
On Feb. 20-21, the California Hospital Association (CHA) hosted a meeting in Sacramento with CAHs. Hospital Council leadership and two-thirds of eligible CAHs in California participated in the meeting, which focused on identifying strategies to improve their financial sustainability. The most pressing challenges for CAHs were identified — such as aging infrastructure and a workforce shortage — and CHA’s rural priority issue team will review what they learned at the meeting and prioritize these solutions. Hospital Council will continue to both address CAHs’ local service challenges and support CHA’s advocacy agenda.
On March 10-11, California’s rural hospital industry partners, policymakers, and C-suite health care professionals will gather in Sacramento at CHA’s Rural Health Care Symposium, where they will connect with one another, exchange ideas, and tackle rural health care’s critical challenges.
The problems facing rural hospitals impact California’s overall health care environment. We 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.