Rural hospitals on life support: emergency rooms across nation closing

PARSONS, Tenn. — Many rural hospitals are on the brink of collapse, and small amounts of money can make all the difference between life and death.

“This is Decatur county,  and we want a Decatur County hospital,” said Sandy Hayes, CEO of Decatur County General Hospital.

With a population of just over 11,000 people, Decatur County General Hospital is a lifeline for many in rural Decatur County.

“It’s closer to have tests done, and we don’t have to drive as far to have them done,” said Marie Wood, who lives just a few miles from the hospital.

But hospital leaders said the lifeline for so many is now on life support. They add, with a bare minimum staff and limited funds, it is getting harder to keep the doors open.

“We’re probably the lowest we’ve been employee wise as we’ve ever been,”  Hayes said.

Hayes took over as the hospital’s CEO four months ago.

Hayes said a $60 wheel tax funds the hospital for now, but it is not a permanent fix.

“I know we’d like to see that go away,” said Hayes. “We’d like to be strong, but until then the community has supported us through that wheel tax. ”

But Decatur County General Hospital is not alone in its struggle to stay open, and Hayes wants people to know this is a nationwide problem.

“It’s a national crisis, it’s not just here,” she said.

Decatur County Mayor Mike Creasy said just within the past few years, dozens of emergency rooms in rural areas have closed.

“So many mayors say once they lose that thing that keeps the community together, things aren’t the same,” said Creasy.

But Creasy said the fight to save this rural hospital, will go on.

“Here in Decatur County, we need to find some stability in the situation and that’s what we’re looking to do,” said Creasy.

The nearest large hospital from Decatur County General Hospital is in Jackson, which is close to an hour’s drive from Parsons.