Sen. Hawley Introduces Rural Hospital Emergency Room Funding Bill
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on June 24 introduced the Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at preserving access to emergency care in rural communities. Key provisions of the bill include the following.
- establishes a 10-year federal funding program to support rural hospital emergency departments
- provides eligible rural hospitals with at least $1 million annually, with additional funding based on local needs and circumstances
- includes emergency assistance of up to $250,000 for rural hospitals facing imminent closure
- preserves hospitals’ eligibility for other federal health care programs, grants and funding sources
Joining Hawley at his press conference announcing this legislation were Jon D. Doolittle, Missouri Hospital Association’s president and CEO; Laura Smith, R.N., CEO of Ellett Memorial Hospital & Clinic in Appleton City, Mo.; Aaron Neisen, D.O., a board-certified family physician and emergency department doctor at Scotland County Hospital in Memphis, Mo.; and Mike Poore, CEO of Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 136 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.