Over the last 15 years, approximately 150 rural hospitals have closed nationwide. What does it mean? Are these facilities obsolete, or no longer needed? Maybe in a few places, but in the vast majority of communities they provide critically important services.
In most rural communities, the hospital has multiple roles and is the cornerstone for health services. Typically they serve as the base for local EMS/ambulance services and provide crucial first-contact care in medical and trauma emergencies. Besides delivering a range of outpatient services, they care for inpatients who do not require the high-tech interventions of the regional referral centers. Here, they often do a better job than overstressed referral centers. In essence, they are the central component of a rural safety net.
