Across Michigan rural hospitals have begun struggling, cutting departments and now closing down.<\/p>\n
On June 19, Sturgis Hospital in St. Joseph County closed its doors after 100 years of service, 84 beds and 300 employees were lost for the community.<\/p>\n
The hospital had been struggling for years. <\/p>\n
In 2023, Sturgis Hospital became Michigan\u2019s first federally designated rural emergency hospital. The status was created to provide additional financial support, but it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n
For some in the community what was once anticipated as a two-mile ambulance trip will now be closer to 25 miles, leaving ambulances and crew tied up for longer and the community underserved.<\/p>\n
Sturgis isn\u2019t alone, the hospital in Ontonagon shut down and reopened as a health clinic, eliminating all emergency services.<\/p>\n
Now hospitals in Ironwood and Tawas have both ended labor and delivery. <\/p>\n
Since 2010, 11 rural Michigan hospitals have ended labor and delivery services, leaving pregnant women in these areas further away from medical aid.<\/p>\n
Nationwide, over 200 rural hospitals have closed or eliminated major services since 2005. Today, more than 400, about 20% of all rural hospitals, are considered at risk.<\/p>\n
According to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, more hospitals are showing warning signs of losing services or closing. <\/p>\n
Research identified three Michigan hospitals at risk, Mclean Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, U-M Health Sparrow Carson and Ascension Borgess-Lee in Dowagiac.<\/p>\n
All three have operated at negative margins for the past three years. At this time there are no current plans to close the named hospitals, but financial pressure is growing.<\/p>\n
Rural hospitals operate on thin margins, serving smaller populations, fewer patients, and caring for more Medicare and Medicaid patients, leaving reimburse rates lower than private insurance.<\/p>\n
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to cut about $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. That could mean more than $6 billion dollars in lost funding for Michigan hospitals over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n
Michael Shepherd, a professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan who focuses on rural health disparities joined Local 4 Live to tell us about risks associated with losing rural health options.<\/p>\n
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.<\/b><\/p>\n
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