Rural Georgia hospital fights to stay in business in a state where some others have closed down

Last week we reported that Stewart-Webster Hospital in Richland, Ga., was closing, due in part to high unemployment, fewer patients and a decrease in money from Medicaid and Medicare, all of which led to the hospital running out of money. Calhoun Memorial Hospital in Arlington also closed recently.

Habersham Medical Center

Another Georgia small-town hospital, Habersham Medical Center, vowed to continue fighting and keep its doors open even through tough times, Georgia Health News reports. Demorest has a population of 1,800 and is located in the mountains near the South Carolina border. The county-owned acute-care facility has 53 beds.

Unemployment is high in the area and most of the patients do not have health insurance, Georgia Health News writes. "The hospital has enough cash to meet its payroll and service its debt, but that’s about it," acting CEO Jack Fulbright said.

"Georgia hospitals will lose $400 million in federal indigent-care funds under the Affordable Care Act," Georgia Health News reports. One way state hospitals have responded is to no longer deliver babies. "Roughly 40 counties in Georgia, one in every four, has no ob/gyn."

Habersham continues its delivery service, and "Officials assert that the hospital will survive," Georgia Health News reports. “We’re tough as a boot up here. We’re not going anywhere,” hospital board member Rick Austin said. (Read more)