Rural hospital advocates march on Washington as closures loom

Advocates on June 15, 2015 march on Washington to rally for rural hospitals support. (Photo courtesy of TORCH)

Dozens of advocates for saving rural hospitals from closure marched into Washington D.C. on Monday, after walking 283 miles to signify the 283 rural hospitals that are on the brink of closure.

The event was organized by the National Rural Health Association and led by Adam O’Neal, mayor of Belhaven, North Carolina, a small town that saw its rural hospital close. O’Neal led the march to get attention from Congressional lawmakers, who he hopes will increase funding to support the facilities. Already, 53 rural hospitals have closed.

“When a hospital closes in rural America, like the one in Belhaven -- we got people now that have to go 80 miles to get emergency help,” O’Neal said in an NPR report.

[Also: Hundreds of rural hospitals face closure]

Here are photos from the rally (story continues below):

A May report by iVantage Health found the rate that small, rural hospitals are closing has picked up since 2010, leaving large areas without hospitals, or “medical deserts,” in their absence. The risk of closure is higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid, the report said.

The rally took place on the same day that Arizona’s Tuscon Medical Center formed an alliance with 4 rural hospitals, dubbed the Southern Arizona Hospital Alliance, which will share resources to keep those rural facilities afloat.

Twitter: @HenryPowderly