Are critical access hospitals sustainable?

The residents of Odessa face a question that is being faced by small, rural communities across country: how can we sustain local health care delivery?

The fact is our local hospital, Odessa Memorial Health Care has an uncertain future. We are not unique in this uncertainty.

Since early 2013, 26 rural hospitals nation-wide have closed – more closures than in the nine prior years combined. According to iVantage Health Analytics, 66 percent of the nation’s 2,300 rural hospitals are operating at a financial loss.

There are lots of reasons Critical Access Hospitals are struggling. The Critical Acce...