Belhaven

shows an empty emergency room trauma bay, with gurneys and equipment ready for patients to arrive, perhaps at a rural hospital

Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates

August 30, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates - North Carolina Health News

A new study from the University of Washington compared outcomes after closures in urban areas with closures in rural areas.

By Bill Bishop Daily Yonder When a hospital closes in an urban area, mortality rates don’t change. But when a rural hospital shuts its doors, according to a new study, mortality rates increase nearly six percent. The new study helps clear up a question about the impact of hospital closures on health. Earlier studies at […]

Yadkin County Leaders Work Toward Reopening Hospital

October 23, 2015 by Editor

Yadkin County Leaders Work Toward Reopening Hospital - North Carolina Health News

By Taylor Sisk As crews of workers continue the task of cleaning and mending the shuttered confines of Yadkin Valley Community Hospital, Yadkin County officials report they’ve made progress in once again providing hospital services to their constituents. In August, the county signed agreements with two firms to explore the financial and structural viability of […]

Franklin Medical Center in Louisburg Ceases Operations

October 15, 2015 by Editor

Franklin Medical Center in Louisburg Ceases Operations - North Carolina Health News

Novant Health announced that the facility, located 30 miles northeast of Raleigh, will shut its doors on Friday after several years of declining business. By Taylor Sisk Winston-Salem-based Novant Health announced that Franklin Medical Center in Louisburg will cease operations at 7 a.m. on Friday, after several years of declining utilization. Louisburg, the county seat […]

Signs supporting Pungo Hospital dot the roadsides near Belhaven, a small coastal town. Belhaven's single stop light is visible in the distance in this 2014 photo.

Rural Communities Hope Help is Coming for Their Hospitals

October 6, 2015 by Editor

Rural Communities Hope Help is Coming for Their Hospitals - North Carolina Health News

A newly introduced bill in Congress would extend a lifeline to rural hospitals. By Taylor Sisk Since January 2013, more rural hospitals have closed than in the previous decade combined, according to the National Rural Health Association. Factors contributing to these closures are many and varied. Some pertain to demographics: Rural populations are, generally speaking, […]

Bill to Provide Relief to Rural Hospitals Complete

September 29, 2015 by Editor

Bill to Provide Relief to Rural Hospitals Complete - North Carolina Health News

A bill to help several rural hospitals makes quick passage through both legislative chambers and is on its way to the governor for his signature. By Rose Hoban A bill that emerged only in the last weeks of the almost nine-month legislative session would throw a lifeline to two troubled rural hospitals, in Belhaven and […]

Belhaven mayor Adam O'Neal at the NCGA Sept. 2015. O'Neal has walked to Washington D.C. and to Raleigh from the eastern North Carolina town of Belhaven to publicize the problems faced by rural hospitals.

Troubled Rural Hospitals Get Attention at the Legislature

September 17, 2015 by Editor

Troubled Rural Hospitals Get Attention at the Legislature - North Carolina Health News

Representatives from two recently closed rural hospitals came to Raleigh to ask for some help from the legislature. By Rose Hoban Two rural hospitals in crisis got some help from state legislators Wednesday, as amendments to assist them were added to a bill to encourage diabetes screening for children. House Bill 20, now renamed the […]

One concern cited by Vidant officials is the proximity of Pungo Hospital to the water's edge and a possibility of flooding.

Commentary: Why Rural Hospitals Are Closing

July 24, 2015 by Editor

Commentary: Why Rural Hospitals Are Closing - North Carolina Health News

Revenue for small hospitals is based on how many patients they admit. A new proposal would help rural hospitals get paid for performing other critical health care services, not just for how many beds they fill. The change is an effort to help more small hospitals stay in business. By Wayne Myers, M.D. The Daily […]

N.C. Mayor Arrives in D.C. on Quest to Support Rural Hospitals

June 15, 2015 by Editor

N.C. Mayor Arrives in D.C. on Quest to Support Rural Hospitals - North Carolina Health News

By Rose Hoban For the second year running, Belhaven Mayor Adam O’Neal has walked to Washington, D.C. Last year, O’Neal made the journey to raise the red flag over the closure of the hospital in his small eastern North Carolina town. This year, he walked to raise awareness of rural hospitals facing closure across the […]

Q&A: Taking Stock of North Carolina’s Rural Hospitals

May 11, 2015 by Editor

Q&A: Taking Stock of North Carolina’s Rural Hospitals - North Carolina Health News

These are uncertain times for North Carolina’s rural hospitals. Hospital systems are buying small, struggling independent hospitals, while all hospitals have taken financial hits due to budget cuts and the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid. North Carolina Health News’ Taylor Sisk asked UNC-Chapel Hill health economist Mark Holmes to assess the status of rural […]

When a Hospital Closes

September 19, 2014 by Editor

When a Hospital Closes - North Carolina Health News

People in Belhaven are getting used to the new reality: Life without a local hospital. By Lisa Gillespie Kaiser Health News People in this one-stoplight farming town really want their hospital back. The July 1 closure of Vidant Pungo Hospital, which gained national attention through Mayor Adam O’Neal’s 273-mile protest walk to Washington, D.C., is […]

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