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The demise of Haywood Park Community Hospital three years ago this summer added Brownsville, Tenn., to an epidemic of dying hospitals across rural America. Nearly 80 have closed since 2010, including nine in Tennessee.
The demise of Haywood Park Community Hospital three years ago this summer added Brownsville, Tenn., to an epidemic of dying hospitals across rural America. Nearly 80 have closed since 2010, including nine in Tennessee.
That's a worrisome trend in rural areas. While I love the thought of retiring in a quiet small town somewhere, the factors of access to healthcare and transportation worry me. We've decided to stay put in the city. We have multiple world-class hospitals within a couple miles, great public transportation, taxis, Uber, grocery stores and drug stores all nearby, plus incredible cultural amenities and universities for adult classes. And we can get just about everything delivered, if need be.
The small towns around me were losing their hospitals but then a new health system bought them all and it is constantly expanding. Glad to see it but we do have some of the most expensive healthcare in the state. How else can they afford to buy up all these places?
Yep, though we loved living out an a farm in Amish country, we are staying put in a semi-rural area between there and the city. Here we have 2 excellent hospitals within 8 miles, doctors same, and can walk to grocery, pharmacy, bank, post office, plus parks galore. I can ride out into the countryside within minutes or go into town within minutes to the zoo or other places. Last year my SO had a stroke. EMS came within minutes. Out there the time factor would have been fatal. No, I am happy right here.
Agree as we get older hospital locations are how good are they are bigger considerations. I love mountain areas but when you start thinking about the time required in an emergency to get to a good hospital that could mean life or death it becomes a bigger question on moving there.
That's a worrisome trend in rural areas. While I love the thought of retiring in a quiet small town somewhere, the factors of access to healthcare and transportation worry me. We've decided to stay put in the city. We have multiple world-class hospitals within a couple miles, great public transportation, taxis, Uber, grocery stores and drug stores all nearby, plus incredible cultural amenities and universities for adult classes. And we can get just about everything delivered, if need be.
Pretty much the same conclusion I came to. The small town we'd been looking at was 100 miles away from decent comprehensive medical care. There are some who will put up with that to live in a small town or rural area but we are not those people. Retirees continue to flock there, though.
I am now hearing that many physicians in that town are no longer accepting new patients.
Yep, though we loved living out an a farm in Amish country, we are staying put in a semi-rural area between there and the city. Here we have 2 excellent hospitals within 8 miles, doctors same, and can walk to grocery, pharmacy, bank, post office, plus parks galore. I can ride out into the countryside within minutes or go into town within minutes to the zoo or other places. Last year my SO had a stroke. EMS came within minutes. Out there the time factor would have been fatal. No, I am happy right here.
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Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat
Pretty much the same conclusion I came to. The small town we'd been looking at was 100 miles away from decent comprehensive medical care. There are some who will put up with that to live in a small town or rural area but we are not those people. Retirees continue to flock there, though.
I am now hearing that many physicians in that town are no longer accepting new patients.
Interesting hearing the broad range of people's definitions of "rural" or "in the country". The town I grew up in had 1 doctor and 1 dentist and the nearest hospital (horrible) was 20 miles away with the "better" one 50 miles away. But hey, I did live IN TOWN and not IN THE COUNTRY! Believe me, the hospitals were much below average - even now there are no more doctors or medical services than then.
I'm very happy living in a town no smaller than 100,000 and I'd love to be in a city of 500,000 to get a real choice in medical care. People truly out in the country have to take what they can get and aren't likely to get much treatment from specialists and certainly not good ones.
It's much easier living out in the country when you are young and healthy - get a couple chronic health conditions and it just doesn't work.
If the ACA gets a full repeal it will become an epidemic of hospital closings.
I don't think the trend has anything to do with the ACA - that is insurance based regulation.
I do think the trend will move to what we have here, a small clinic open three to four days a week and run by a PA (although could be a Nurse Practitioner too) affiliated with large regional hospitals in higher population centers with more patient use to cover the overhead of advances in medical machines and the costs associated with those advances. Your check-ups and run of the mil coughs, colds, flus, and infections will be handled locally, and more sever illness will require travel - but I doubt that is truly a new trend in rural health care, most "hospitals" in rural areas are really "clinics" capability wise, not a true hospital with trauma care and specialty treatment capabilities.
Generally speaking if you have a serious illness or terminal illness, you are going to specialty clinics/hospital anyway, and travel is usually involved. I am in NW MT and serious cancer treatments go to SLC UT for treatment with local follow-up at the regional health center/hospital.
The demise of Haywood Park Community Hospital three years ago this summer added Brownsville, Tenn., to an epidemic of dying hospitals across rural America. Nearly 80 have closed since 2010, including nine in Tennessee.
I went to Google maps after reading this article. The aforementioned hospital is 25 miles from a major regional medical center in Jackson, TN and about 45 minutes from Memphis where there are several major medical centers.
My in-laws live midway between Cleveland and Columbus, OH. When they have a cardiac issue, they head to the Cleveland Clinic. When they have other major issues, they head to Riverside Hospital or Ohio State University Hospital, the closest hospital that has the type of specialists that my MIL needs.
A lot of small rural hospitals in the US are closing because they cannot compete with the hospitals within an hour drive. People who have the option seek out the best hospitals in the region rather than sticking with the community hospitals in the area. That leaves the local hospitals to service those who don't have the options.
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