Sam Graves Honored by the National Rural Health Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves was honored last night by the National Rural Health Association for his work protecting healthcare in rural America. Last summer, Graves wrote and introduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act, which will prevent doctor shortages and preserve hospitals in rural communities.

“Rural hospitals are closing at an alarming rate, and it puts millions of Missourians in danger,” Rep. Graves said.” I am honored to receive this award, but more importantly I am proud of the focus it is putting on the Save Rural Hospitals Act. This bill will stop hospitals from closing and ensures all rural Americans have access to the healthcare they need. I will continue doing everything I can to make this possible.”

Nearly 300 rural hospitals could be closed before 2020, leaving countless Americans at risk of losing access to their closest emergency room. This comes as nearly 80 percent of rural counties are facing primary physician shortages, and almost 10 percent of those counties have no doctor at all.

“As a physician and Hospital administrator, I applaud Representative Graves' leadership in support of the many rural hospitals that are the backbone of healthcare in their communities,” said Randy Tobler, MD, FACOG and the CEO of Scotland County Hospital in Memphis, MO. “The Save Rural Hospitals Act makes a surgical, fiscally responsible attack on the many diseases that threaten access, quality and sustainability of the rural health safety net. By restoring sensibility in regulations and fair funding, while providing resources to assist in the transition to more efficient and effective healthcare delivery systems, Rep. Graves' bill promises to rescue rural healthcare from the ICU and launch a new era of hospital vitality and community health.”

The Save Rural Hospitals Act will eliminate the Medicare Sequester for rural hospitals, and it provides a permanent extension of the rural ambulance and super-rural ambulance payments. It will also provide an innovation model for rural hospitals that continue to struggle, preserving emergency rooms in rural communities and giving hospitals flexibility to offer outpatient care tailored to their own health needs.



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