Georgiana hospital to close earlier than expected

GEORGIANA, AL (WSFA) - The pending closure of Georgiana Medical Center was already well known. The community was told it would close its doors on March 31, leaving Butler County with just a single medical facility. Now, the time frame for closure is changing.

Georgiana Medical Center will close in just days, not weeks.

CEO Mike Bruce made the announcement Tuesday evening saying, “In an effort to maintain the quality of care, Georgiana Medical Center will close on Friday, March 8th at 6:00 pm. This decision was not made lightly; it is very important to close the hospital fully staffed and with the quality care we have always offered.”

The facility had been open for more than 60 years and provided employment for about 50 people.

Hospital officials blamed the rising cost of healthcare and cuts to reimbursements as primary factors behind the closure and Bruce said the slow decline started about a decade ago and culminated in the loss of millions of dollars in recent years.

This is the seventh hospital in rural Alabama and the thirteenth overall for the state to close since 2011.

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