The Rural Hospital Sustainability Program receives $9 million to aid rural hospitals

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Governor Sanders, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration have announced over 9 million dollars in funding that will go towards improving the long-term sustainability of rural hospitals.

This comes as part of The Rural Hospital Sustainability Program, which looks to strengthen rural communities, serve patients, promote economic development, and preserve access to healthcare.

The hospitals below will receive their 6-month funding allocation as part of the program:

• Arkansas Methodist Medical Center – $1,320,542
• Baxter Regional Medical Center – $1,835,647
• Eureka Springs Hospital – $2,294,559
• Fulton County Hospital – $2,500,000
• Howard Memorial Hospital – $1,376,735

“Rural healthcare is changing, and I’m proud to support these hospitals as they pursue meaningful, lasting change to ensure Arkansans have access to quality, affordable care,” said Governor Sanders.

“Rural hospitals play a pivotal role in caring for Arkansans across our state, and we are proud of the work that has gone into providing funds to help steady the financial situations of these critical facilities,” said Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam. “This process took into account the unique situation of each participating hospital, and resulted in sustainability plans that will help ensure these facilities are effectively and efficiently serving patients in their communities well into the future.”

“Through this funding, rural hospitals are improving their day-to-day operations, resulting in sustainable care for Arkansans across the state,” said Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson. “We can already see the positive impact of this funding six months into the program. The program’s success is the result of collaborative work between the Governor’s Office, General Assembly, DHS and DFA, and of course the hospitals.”

Hospitals participating in the program will be eligible to receive funding to support financial viability through transformative or strategic operational change.

These hospitals, however, have to meet the following requirements:

1. Select one of two hospital sustainability plan tracks

2. Develop a remediation plan with clearly defined benchmarks, and

3. Not use funds for legal fees, debt services, tax obligations, pension funding, or court settlement payments.

The hospital and amount of funding they received were determined by the unique fiscal reality and need of each participating hospital.