April 13, 2026: FY27 Proposed Rural Health Cuts, ER Closures & Teaching Kids to Love Health

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.

News sources for this episode:

Sabrina Ho, “NRHA Statement on the President’s FY 2027 Budget Request,” April 3, 2026, ruralhealth.us/blogs/2026/04-april/nrha-statement-on-the-president%E2%80%99s-fy-2027-budget-request," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.ruralhealth.us/blogs/2026/04-april/nrha-statement-on-the-president%E2%80%99s-fy-2027-budget-request, National Rural Health Association.

Molly Gamble, “756 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state,” December 26, 2025, beckershospitalreview.com/finance/756-hospitals-at-risk-of-closure-state-by-state/," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/756-hospitals-at-risk-of-closure-state-by-state/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, “Rural Hospitals at Risk of Closing,” January 2026, https://chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf.

Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga, “These Kansas elementary students dissect frogs — and it could help fight a doctor shortage,” April 7, 2026, kcur.org/health/2026-04-07/these-kansas-elementary-students-dissect-frogs-and-it-could-help-fight-a-doctor-shortage," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.kcur.org/health/2026-04-07/these-kansas-elementary-students-dissect-frogs-and-it-could-help-fight-a-doctor-shortage, Kansas City Public Radio.

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.