Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.
Welcome back to Rural Health News, the segment of Rural Health Today where we fill you in on the latest in rural health headlines. We’ll cover three headlines in today’s episode: what’s most urgent, a rural health damage report, and a success story to send us into the week.
Most Urgent
Last week, a group of lawmakers put together new legislation proposing to strengthen rural hospitals’ cybersecurity infrastructure. The bipartisan Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act is designed to safeguard patient data by providing education and training programs for rural hospitals. U.S. Representatives Glenn Thompson, Kim Schrier, Erin Houchin, Jill Tokuda, Jefferson Shreve, and Jennifer McClellan worked together from across the aisle to support this bill. Their hope is to equip rural hospitals with the cybersecurity development strategies needed to implement stronger cybersecurity for rural patients across the country.
Damage Report
Over the month of July 2026, 11 hospitals in the US announced layoffs for more than 2,000 positions, not including additional undisclosed layoffs referred to as a “significant workforce reduction”. The hospitals, clinics and health systems undergoing these changes cited low reimbursement and increasing expenses as the causes for the layoffs and, in several cases, unit or department closures. Every healthcare provider is unique but we all face the same pressures from unmovable payer contracts and uncontrollable supply and drug costs. This ongoing trend in healthcare layoffs across the nation has not slowed down, but steadily grows, putting families, neighborhoods, and the economic health of many communities at risk.
Success Story
Seniors in rural communities can often become socially isolated, leading to worse health outcomes and poorer mental health. To combat this, Jane Strommen, a gerontology specialist at North Dakota State University, developed and directs a pilot program called Aging in Community. The program is essentially a neighborhood watch for seniors, connecting volunteer neighbors with retirees in their community. Volunteering may include assisting seniors with everyday chores, managing weekly activity groups or even just stopping by to chat. As a result of participating in the program, Aging in Community clients report having a higher quality of life and feeling more connected to local resources. In the near future, Strommen plans to expand the program into remote North Dakotan counties along America’s frontier. Stories like this one emphasize the value of socialization in a person’s overall health and wellbeing, and the role of rural healthcare providers in initiating these programs.
Sources
Congresswoman Erin Houchin, “Houchin Introduces Bipartisan Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act,” July 27, 2026, https://houchin.house.gov/media/press-releases/houchin-introduces-bipartisan-rural-hospital-cybersecurity-enhancement-act.
U.S. Congressman Glenn Thompson, “Thompson Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Rural Hospitals’ Cybersecurity Infrastructure,” July 27, 2026, https://thompson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/thompson-introduces-legislation-strengthen-rural-hospitals.
Kelly Gooch & Kristin Kuchno, “The hospitals, health systems cutting jobs in 2026,” July 29, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/the-hospitals-health-systems-cutting-jobs-in-2026/, Becker’s Hospital Review.
Madeline Scheetz, “Shuttered Chicago hospital to lay off 500,” July 1, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/shuttered-chicago-hospital-plans-mass-layoffs/, Becker’s Hospital Review.
Healthcare Staff Et al., “Fierce Healthcare Layoff Tracker—MaineHealth reorgs hit 83; Tower Health cutting 160 at PA hospital,” July 29, 2026, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/fierce-healthcare-layoff-tracker-2026-job-cuts-eliminations-health-systems-hospitals, Fierce Healthcare.
Madeline Scheetz, “Kansas hospital CEO to resign amid ‘significant workforce reduction’,” July 23, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/kansas-hospital-ceo-to-resign-amid-significant-workforce-reduction/, Becker’s Hospital Review.
Wil Day, “Layoffs coming as financially troubled Kansas hospital tries to ‘stabilize’,” July 23, 2026, https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/pratt-regional-medical-center-layoffs/, KSN News.
Kim Chockley, “PRMC Announces Urgent Care Clinic Closure and Critical Financial Situation,” February 18, 2025, https://prmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Feb2025PRMCUpdate.pdf, Pratt Regional Medical Center.
Lee Cowan, “Home, not alone: Helping aging seniors in rural America,” July 26, 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/home-not-alone-helping-aging-seniors-in-rural-america/, CBS News.
Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.
