J. Paul Jones Hospital in Camden, Ala., is set to become the sixth rural hospital in the state to close since 2010.
Hospital Board Chairman George Alford said high operating costs and dwindling reimbursement rates make it nearly impossible for the facility to survive as it currently operates. He said the hospital is struggling to meet financial obligations, according to The Wilcox Progressive Era.
Mr. Alford said the goal is to preserve medical services in the community by transitioning the facility into an urgent care center. "We are attempting to provide the best and most appropriate level of healthcare as possible for the citizens of Wilcox County, with the resources available to us," he said, according to The Wilcox Progressive Era.
J. Paul Jones Hospital serves Wilcox County, which has a declining population, a poverty rate of about 40 percent and an unemployment rate of approximately 13 percent.
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