Rural NC county is set to reopen its shuttered hospital with help from a new federal program

Photo byMartin General Hospital

The closure of Martin General Hospital in rural eastern North Carolina marked a turning point for the community, leaving its 5,000 residents without essential emergency services.

The hospital, which had been losing money for years, finally shuttered in 2023, driven by a declining and aging population.

Christopher Harrison, a local resident, experienced firsthand the consequences of the closure when a medical crisis forced him to drive 45 minutes to the nearest hospital, narrowly escaping amputation.

However, a new federal program offers hope. The Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, introduced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, aims to prevent closures by supporting hospitals that offer emergency and outpatient services but eliminate inpatient care.

Martin County officials are working to reopen the shuttered hospital under the REH model, which could make it one of the first in the nation to do so.

While reopening the hospital would address immediate healthcare needs, long-term challenges remain.

Staffing shortages, the transition away from inpatient care, and addressing broader social determinants of health, such as poverty, are hurdles the community must face. Yet, the reopening would offer a vital lifeline to the area and restore much-needed emergency care for residents like Harrison.

Would this model work in other rural areas facing similar challenges?