Nearly every seat is taken during lunchtime at the Remnant Cafe in Parsons, Kansas, and Brian Williams is caught up in conversation about the happenings at the local hospital.
It’s not unusual for Williams, the CEO of Labette Health, to field questions about personal medical concerns or roadblocks, and lately about how the hospital is faring financially. In a town of under 10,000 people, a hospital CEO is a fairly visible figure, and the hospital is a boon to the community.
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing lately in southeast Kansas for many hospitals, and time won’t heal these financial wounds. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Medicaid reimbursement will drop 10% each year from 2028 until it reaches a cap noticeably lower than the rate today.
Estimates suggest rural hospitals nationwide will face $70 billion in cuts over the next decade due to these changes. That’s why Williams always stresses the value hospitals bring to a community and the importance of supporting hospitals now.
“Rising tides lift all ships,” Williams said of his experience in hospital and community partnership, particularly amid financial turmoil. “That’s what we need to do today.”
Williams describes his hospital’s situation as “better than most and worse than some.” But since his arrival in 2015, he’s watched facilities in nearby Independence, Kansas, and Oswego close. One hospital in Fort Scott closed twice, although it seems a new option might be available.
That leaves Labette Health as the only Level 3 Trauma Center in the region, meaning they are equipped to handle traumatic injuries from things like car crashes. It serves a six-county area and has 99 short-term inpatient beds. Doctors see well over 100,000 patients each year across their clinics and in the hospital.
They also employ about 800 people, one of the largest employers in Parsons. That means they are critical in providing jobs that help keep it a viable place to live and work.
“Without your schools, without your health care, without your local pharmacy, how are we gonna keep our youth here?” Williams said. “How are we going to continue to have viable communities?”
Parsons native Justin Brown, who stopped to chat with Williams for a bit, has been a patient at Labette Health on multiple occasions.
“The care that I’ve always received there has always been top-notch, from the doctors to the surgeons to the lab and all the departments overall,” Brown said.
He reflected on how lucky Parsons is to have a hospital a short drive away, compared to the long drives some have to make in western Kansas.
Lisa Johnson lives in Parsons and, like Brown, has had a few instances where she required medical assistance. While she said Labette has room to improve, she’s thankful they’ve been there to support her when needed.
“You could go to Kansas City, and it’s crazy getting in to see doctors, but here it isn’t that way,” she said.
As other hospitals close in the surrounding towns, her appreciation for Labette Health only grows.
Smaller hospitals struggle
Many rural hospitals across Kansas struggle to stay open. The state has more rural hospitals at risk of closure than any other state, according to national data from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Patient Reform.
