About Rural Health Care
California’s nearly five dozen rural hospitals — providing care to more than 2 million people — are both lifelines and economic pillars for the communities they serve. Many of these hospitals are on the financial brink, reducing services just to stay open, or they face the possibility of closure. These situations place the most vulnerable populations at risk as Californians will have to travel great distances to get the care they need.
The California Critical Access Hospital Network (CCAHN) is a statewide organization which exists for the purpose of creating collaborative working relationships among California critical access hospitals to strengthen its members through sharing resources, education, and innovation.
CHA Convenes Hospital Leaders to Share Need for Legislative Support to Preserve Vital Services
On April 9, the California Hospital Association (CHA) convened a gathering in Sacramento of critical access hospital (CAH) leaders, legislators, and staff in support of Senate Bill (SB) 1423, which aims to stabilize health care services in rural, remote communities.
We Are All Responsible for Rural Health Care Access
People talk about the rural-urban divide, but the reality for health care and hospitals is that we are interconnected. And California’s rural hospitals are at a fiscal crossroad. Right now, 56% percent of rural hospitals are losing money on patient care — up 16% in just five years. Health care access for more than 2 million Californians is shrinking.