"For more than two decades, Susan Bushby, a 70-year-old housekeeper from a rural ski town in New Hampshire's White Mountains, took comfort in knowing she only had a short drive to reach the community health center. The lodgelike medical building, which sits on a hill overlooking town, was like a second home for Bushby and many other patients. The front desk staff knew their names and never missed a chance to celebrate a birthday or anniversary."
"Officials blamed cuts in Medicaid, the federal program that millions of low-income Americans rely on for health care. The 1,400 patients, almost half of them older and some facing serious health challenges like cancer and early stage dementia, must now drive at least 10 miles (16 kilometers) along rural roads to reach the nearest health center, which also is near a regional hospital. A second center is twice as far."
A community health center in Franconia, New Hampshire, permanently closed, removing a longstanding, familiar local source of primary care. Officials attributed the closure to cuts in Medicaid funding, affecting roughly 1,400 patients, nearly half of whom are older and some have serious conditions like cancer or early-stage dementia. Patients who once relied on short drives now must travel at least 10 miles on rural roads to reach the nearest center, with the next option twice as far. The closure disrupted personal patient–staff relationships and raised broader concerns about the financial stability of rural health centers amid policy changes.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]