BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — 27 rural hospitals are at risk of closing in the state of Alabama, that’s according to Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

Seven rural hospitals in the state have closed since 2011, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. On Thursday, INTERNEWSCAST News stopped by the 2025 Alabama Rural Health Conference in Hoover to talk with the past president of the Alabama Rural Health Association about how we got here.

“A lot of it just boils down to funding,” noted Ferrell Turner, who is also the CEO of Physicians Care in Clarke County. “What I mean by that is in some cases funding from if they are say a governmental hospital, so they be owned by the county or the city or somebody like that, and they may get some funding that way, but it’s primarily the re-imbursement.”

Ferrell said re-imbursement rates in Alabama are among the lowest in the country. They get compensated either by the patient, an insurance company, or Medicare or Medicaid.

“It’s rather difficult to operate hospitals if you’re not getting paid for what you do,” he added.

Having your hospital close down isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to Dr. Nick Gillespie who practices in Moulton, Alabama. He said Lawrence Medical Center closed it’s doors several weeks ago.

“With the improvement in healthcare, the improvement in medication, the way it’s going we just don’t have that need anymore.”

Dr. Gillespie said what they do need in Moulton, however, is emergency services and a good diagnostic center. He remarked that he’s not speaking for every hospital everywhere. State Representative Ron Bolton was awarded “Rural Health Legislator of the Year” at the Alabama Rural Health Conference on Thursday. He said the closing of the Pickens County Hospital in March of 2020 has had an impact on his constituents.

“Right now we’re having to move people to our other hospitals in Tuscaloosa and Columbus, but we’re doing everything that we can to try and get that hospital back open.”

Bolton said they hope to be able to qualify for a federal program for a rural emergency hospital at some point. To make that happen though, a bill would need to pass that would allow applicants that were operational through March of 2020 to be considered.