Hundreds of America's rural hospitals have disappeared. Maps show closures by state.

"Emergency rooms, maternity wards, and intensive care units are vanishing across rural America. The phenomenon is leaving millions of people without access to medical services. Some now have to travel long distances for their annual checkup, while others worry paramedics won't arrive in time if they need help. Hospitals are major employers, and closures can leave hundreds of people without a job."

"Since 2005, 110 of the US' rural hospitals have closed permanently, 24 of which have shut their doors in the last five years. Researchers at The University of North Carolina found that the majority of these hospitals are in especially small and isolated locations, leaving residents with few options to see a doctor for preventive or urgent care. And many of these closure locations are near one another, creating"

Rural emergency rooms, maternity wards, and intensive care units are disappearing, leaving millions without nearby medical services and forcing long travel for preventive or urgent care. Closures reduce local employment and can leave communities with delayed emergency response. Contributing factors include smaller patient populations that cannot cover operating costs, aging equipment and facilities, and ownership changes that can push struggling hospitals into deficit. Since 2005, 110 rural hospitals have closed, including 24 in the past five years, with many closures concentrated in especially small, isolated areas. Proposed Medicaid changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act threaten key federal funding, risking further closures despite a proposed $50 billion rural health investment.

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