Sturgis hospital closure raises concerns over rural care model

A century-old hospital near Michigan’s southern border closed in June, three years after converting to a federal Rural Emergency Hospital model designed to preserve emergency care in rural communities.

Sturgis Hospital’s closure left the city of about 11,000 without critical healthcare. Hospital leaders said they had tried every reasonable option to stay open, including seeking a buyer.

Lauren LaPine-Ray of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association said the closure could signal broader trouble for rural healthcare as hospitals face staffing shortages, low federal payment rates, declining patient numbers and expected Medicaid funding cuts.

Read the full story at kffhealthnews.org.