State College, Pa.-based Mount Nittany Health is adding eight new providers and expanding primary care services to reduce hospital readmission rates, according to an Aug. 26 report from The Express. New physicians will increase access to care for patients in family practice, sports medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and pediatric psychology.

Maternal care advocates, midwives and nurses are concerned about the potential closure of Siler City, N.C.-based UNC Chatham's Maternity Care Center, Chatham News and Record reported Aug. 25.

Hayden, Idaho.-based Panhandle Health District is in the process of ending its home health services after over 55 years due to staff shortages and lack of funding, Shoshone News-Press reported Aug. 25.

Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick in Stuart, Va., closed in 2017 after filing for bankruptcy due to financial hardships. However, an aggressive bipartisan effort could lead to a reopened hospital and better healthcare in the community, according to an Aug. 25 report in the Martinsville Bulletin.

Fulton, Mo.-based Callaway Community Hospital may not reopen by a Sept. 21 deadline, according to an Aug. 24 report from ABC affiliate KMIZ.

Emeryville, Calif.-based Vituity, a physician-led and owned multispecialty partnership, announced on Aug. 24 that it is providing emergency medical services at the Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport, Ore.

Some pregnant patients are accusing Beverly (Mass.) Hospital's North Shore Birth Center of denying them care after suspending the closure of the center for 90 days as of Aug. 2. 

Greenville, Miss..-based Delta Health System's The Medical Center closed its neonatal intensive care unit in July, citing $1 million in annual losses, Mississippi Today reported Aug. 23. 

Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring, Pa., will end scheduled obstetrics deliveries Oct. 9., the Altoona Mirror reported Aug. 24. 

Watertown, N.Y.-based Samaritan Medical Center announced its imaging and lab center would be closed for a third day due to a lack of staff, CBS affiliate WWNY reported Aug. 23. 

Honesdale, Pa.-based Wayne Memorial Hospital will end outpatient oncology care after its sole oncologist's last day on Sept. 30., ABC affiliate WNEP 16 reported Aug. 22.

After receiving $13.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds, North Greenville Hospital in Travelers Rest, S.C., may reopen its emergency department, the Post and Courier Greenville reported Aug. 22. 

As hospitals across the U.S. face workforce shortages, several have had to halt services.

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health held a national summit on the future of rural healthcare.

A new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that even well into 2021, surgical procedure volumes had not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. This has contributed to ongoing backlogs that could result in more advanced disease and higher costs in the future. 

In healthcare, frameworks such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s groundbreaking Triple Aim and the Quadruple Aim provide guiding points to optimize health system performance. The goals are common to all health systems and include better outcomes, lower costs, improved patient experience, improved clinician experience, workforce well-being and safety, and the advancement of health equity.

Despite many rural hospitals closing for good nationwide for financial reasons, Haywood County Memorial Hospital in Tennessee recently reopened, radio station WPLN reported Aug. 21. 

Grand Marais, Minn.-based North Shore Health may have to close its nursing facility for older adults and end ambulance services due to a staffing shortage, radio station WTIP reported Aug. 22. 

Watertown, N.Y.-based Samaritan Medical Center will close its imaging and lab center for two days due to a staff shortage, CBS affiliate WWNY reported Aug. 21. 

Emergency department data from hospitals across North Carolina indicate an elevated rate of pediatric patients needing psychiatric care, according to an Aug. 22 report in North Carolina Health News.