Rural Hospital on The Verge of Shutting Down Could be Saved by Lawmaker’s Bill

(Photo courtesy of Luann Dart/GS Publishing via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The fate of a rural hospital, over 100 jobs and health care in southwest North Dakota communities might hinge on a bill lawmakers will consider this week.

The Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center in Elgin, could be forced to close its doors and the area’s only ambulance service if it doesn’t obtain immediate financial assistance, Chief Operating Officer Kristin Heid said.

“We are in serious financial trouble,” said Heid, who has been serving as the hospital’s administrator since November. “We’re kind of payroll to payroll right now, just hoping that enough revenue comes in to make the next payroll.”

State Sen. Donald Schaible, R-Mott, has drafted a bill that would give the health care facility an out. He’s proposing legislation creating an emergency low-interest loan program for nonprofit hospitals and asking legislative leaders to allow the bill to be heard during this week’s special session.