Two hospitals in Alabama have recently revealed their decision to discontinue inpatient services and transform into Rural Emergency Hospitals. Unfortunately, this move will lead to the closure of one of the few remaining birthing units in rural south Alabama.
Grove Hill Memorial Hospital in Clarke County has recently announced on Facebook that they will be discontinuing their labor and delivery services on August 16th. This news comes as a surprise to many, as it is only a little over a month away.
The labor and delivery department at Monroe County Hospital, located in the neighboring county, closed down nine months ago. As a result, the closure of this department has now occurred.
South Alabama will be left without access to labor and delivery services due to the closure, forcing women to travel to Selma, Montgomery, Mobile, or Bay Minette.
News reports have stated that East Alabama Medical Center-Lanier in Chambers County is planning to transition into a Rural Emergency Hospital.
If the application is approved, the facility will discontinue its other inpatient services, but it does not currently offer birthing services.
According to a recent article on the Valley Times website, executive vice president Greg Nichols has stated that the hospital currently has an average of six inpatients per day. Nichols also shared with the newspaper that he anticipates the “final switch” to be completed within six months.
The emergency departments and outpatient services of both hospitals will remain open.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report that the Rural Emergency Hospital program was established to address the issue of rural hospital closures nationwide. The program provides additional financial assistance from federal agencies, with Rural Emergency Hospitals receiving a monthly sum of $267,408.68.
Rural hospitals with fewer than 50 beds are eligible for the program, provided they close their inpatient services while keeping emergency departments open. Rural Emergency Hospitals are expected to limit average inpatient stays to 24 hours, and patients requiring extended inpatient treatment must be transferred to other hospitals.
In Union Springs, the Bullock County Hospital made an announcement earlier this year regarding their plans to be the first Rural Emergency Hospital in the state.
Hospitals across the country have been facing challenges with declining populations and rising costs to operate obstetrical departments, leading to the closure of rural labor and delivery units. Unfortunately, Grove Hill Memorial Hospital is the latest Alabama hospital to succumb to these challenges, becoming the fourth hospital in less than a year to close its labor and delivery services.
According to a report released last year by the Alabama Hospital Association, the pandemic had a significant impact on the finances of medical centers in the state. The report revealed that nearly half of the hospitals in Alabama were experiencing financial losses.
One of the states that have yet to expand Medicaid for individuals with low incomes is Alabama.
The Alabama Hospital Association officials have highlighted the potential benefits of expanding Medicaid. They believe that this move could significantly improve the financial situation of rural hospitals and those catering to individuals with low incomes.
Alabama Arise estimates that approximately 300,000 individuals in Alabama are caught in the coverage gap. These individuals earn too much to qualify for Medicaid in Alabama, yet they do not earn enough to receive grants to assist with the cost of private insurance on the federal exchange.
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