October 19, 2026: A Bipartisan Effort to Help Keep Rural Hospitals Open, the Most Pressing Needs Hospitals Currently Face, and Missouri's Solution for Rural Hospitals to Retain Their Independence

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

News sources for this episode:

Liz Carey, “Congress Members Move to Offset Coming Cuts to Rural Hospital Funding,” October 5, 2026, https://dailyyonder.com/congress-members-move-to-offset-coming-cuts-to-rural-hospital-funding/2026/10/05/, The Daily Yonder.

American Hospital Association, “America’s Rural Hospitals at a Crossroads,” https://www.aha.org/americas-rural-hospitals-crossroads.

Christopher Cheney, “Missouri Independent Hospitals Seek Strength in Numbers with New Clinically Integrated Network,” October 7, 2026, https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/cmo/missouri-independent-hospitals-seek-strength-numbers-new-clinically-integrated-network, Health Leaders.

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.