Bolivar (Tenn.) General Hospital is the only rural hospital in Southwest Tennessee, and its facing financial struggles, according to the Jackson Sun.
In 2014, Bolivar General was one of four hospitals in Southwest Tennessee. It is the only one left after Haywood Park Community Hospital in Brownsville closed in 2014, Methodist Fayette Hospital in Somerville shut down in 2015 and McNairy Regional Hospital in Selmer closed in 2018.
Bolivar General is the only hospital in a 90-mile area where roughly 90,000 people live.
"If for any reason we weren't here, we would be in a health care desert," Bolivar General Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Ruby Kirby told the Jackson Sun.
Many local residents are bypassing the 10-bed hospital and driving to hospitals in Jackson, Tenn., for nonemergency care. This is one of the factors contributing to Bolivar General's financial struggles, according to the report.
The hospital lost money in 2017. In 2018, Bolivar General reported a $460,000 loss, its worst year on record, according to the report.
Access the full Jackson Sun article here.
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