LOGAN, W.Va. — Around a dozen rural hospitals in West Virginia are at risk of shutting down as financial pressures mount, raising concerns about access to basic health care in some of the state’s most underserved communities.
Residents gathered in Logan County to discuss shrinking insurance reimbursements and expected federal funding cuts, which experts say are worsening provider shortages and deepening already disproportionate health impacts in rural areas. Advocates at the Summer Policy Institute called for stronger hospital price transparency, enforcement of federal rules and new strategies to keep threatened facilities open.
Participants proposed using tax revenue from data centers to support struggling hospitals and expanding traveling nurse services in counties such as McDowell. They also discussed community‑driven solutions that do not rely solely on legislative action, including local water filtration projects for schools and citizen‑led policy initiatives.
