The Rural Health Research Gateway recently published a report on Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) highlighting data from the first year of the designation. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the Rural Emergency Hospital provider type was created to address rural hospital closures. There is one REH in the state of Michigan, Sturgis Hospital located in Sturgis, MI. Additionally, there are 18 other REHs across the country (four REHs in Texas, three in Mississippi, three in Oklahoma, two in Arkansas, two in Georgia, and one in each of Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Tennessee).
The report found that a majority of the REHs operating at the end of 2023 were in the south. The brief also found that REHs tend to serve under resourced counties that face a myriad of challenges, such as increased poverty and uninsured rates, along with a shortage of primary care and mental health providers. Counties with REHs also tend to have higher rates of premature deaths. These findings suggest that counties with REHs are facing more severe challenges than their other rural counterparts.
As REHs continue into their second year, further monitoring will provide more information on the long-term impact of REHs on healthcare outcomes in rural areas.
Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine at the MHA.
