Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, Ga., is the subject of public hearings this week, as county officials debate whether to implement a property tax to supply cash to keep the hospital open, according to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald.
The 52-bed hospital has served Elbert County for 60 years, according to the report. Last year, Elberton Memorial lost $1.5 million, which hospital CEO Jim Yarborough attributed to increases in charity care and bad debt.
The property tax would raise $500,000 in one year to offset the hospital's cost of providing care to uninsured patients. Without the tax, the hospital would have to close, eliminating about 200 jobs in the rural county and forcing residents of Elberton to travel 30 miles to receive medical care.
According to the report, Georgia's lack of Medicaid expansion has significantly impacted rural hospitals in the state. While some municipalities and hospitals are entering creative partnerships to keep hospitals open, other hospitals have had no choice but to shut their doors.
Elbert Memorial Hospital's predicament comes on the heels of five Georgia hospital closures in the past two years, four of them in rural areas, according to the report.
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