December 22, 2025: Medetomidine Withdrawals in ICUs, 2025 Closures and the Future of Tailored Breast Cancer Screening

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

News sources for this episode:

Paige Twenter, “‘Withdrawal crisis’ strains hospitals in several states: 5 notes,” December 16, 2025, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/patient-safety-outcomes/withdrawal-crisis-strains-hospitals-in-several-states-5-notes/, Becker’s Clinical Leadership.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Notes from the Field: Suspected Medetomidine Withdrawal Syndrome Among Fentanyl-Exposed Patients — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 2024–January 2025,” May 1, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7415a2.htm. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Drug Overdose in Rural America as a Public Health Issue,” May 16, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/rural-health/php/public-health-strategy/public-health-considerations-for-drug-overdose-in-rural-america.html.

Madeline Ashley, “23 hospital closures in 2025,” November 17, 2025, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/2-hospital-closures-in-2025/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Kell West Regional Hospital, https://www.kellwest.com/.

Alyssa Lundy, “Landmark Hospital of Cape Girardeau Announces Closure Due to Unsustainable Healthcare Market Conditions,” September 10, 2025, https://www.landmarkhospitals.com/press, Landmark Hospitals.

Dani Anguiano, “Rural US town outraged as only hospital forced to shut: ‘I would have died without it’,” October 7, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/07/rural-us-town-outraged-as-only-hospital-forced-to-shut-i-would-have-died-without-it, The Guardian.

Dennis Thompson, “Experts: Risk-based breast cancer screenings beat annual mammograms,” December 16, 2025, https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/12/16/breast-cancer-screenings-risk-based-annual-clinical-trial/5191765896690/, United Press International.

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.