Nearly half of Michigan's rural hospitals in the red

Nearly half of Michigan's 63 rural hospitals are running in the financial red, a recent report from health care consultancy Chartis shows.

Why it matters: Millions of Americans rely on rural hospitals for emergencies and other forms of care.

• Plus, as the report points out, "within many rural communities, the hospital is often among the largest employers and thus a major contributor to the local economy."

Driving the news: While COVID-19-era government aid helped alleviate some financial pressure on rural hospitals, those support programs have largely ended.

• Nationally, 199 rural hospitals have closed or significantly altered services since 2005, including three Michigan hospitals, per research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported by the Free Press this fall.

What they're saying: "When you see all of this negative pressure, what you're really talking about is loss of access in the places where we need it, one could arguably say, most," says Michael Topchik, executive director of the Chartis Center for Rural Health.

Zoom in: Challenges faced by rural hospitals in Michigan include lower numbers of patients, higher costs, worker shortages and lack of access to behavioral health services, the Free Press reported .