This hospital, situated in a poor rural community in the deep south, has been abandoned not once, but twice. Both closures were due to a insurmountable amount of debt being racked up.
The first closure came in 1974, only 6 years after it opened it's doors. The hospital became caught up in the middle of a corruption scandal that spread across this rural county. It took a non profit organization, started by the townspeople, to finally reopen the shuttered hospital doors.
Things began to fall apart again in the mid 1990's as local jobs started to dry up. Most of the large textile factories in the county moved operations to Mexico. Despite bringing in a third party management company the hospital continued to flounder. Even financial assistance from the county could not help. The very organization who had saved the hospital a decade earlier became it's final demise. The CEO was forced out in 1998 and the hospital closed just three years later, after losing it's medicaid.
The closure of this facility meant the county no longer had it's own hospital. The closest hospital is a hour and half drive. Many residents of this poor county were unemployed and uninsured. Many could not afford the hefty ambulance rides to out of county hospitals. Heart attack casualties soared to 40% above the national average. Companies became unwilling to bring factory jobs to the county now that it had no hospital. Unemployment continued to rise.
To this day the hospital sits vacant, hit hard by vandals and scrappers. But with much of it's medical equipment and supplies still intact. These things were left in the building in hopes that the hospital would once again reopen. But that now seems highly unlikely and what remains has become contaminated or outdated and can never be reused in a medical capacity.
I think the sad story of this hospital really highlights how close to the brink many of the poor areas in this country are. It's a real catch 22 situation. The lack of jobs lead to the closure of this county's only hospital. Now it's lack of a medical center is hurting potential job growth in the region.
Everything is connected, especially in a small community like this.
Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Your Crutch
Lunch Break
What About Dinner?
Sign In
A Rare Selfie
A no smoking sign on your cigarette break
I'll heal your sorrow as long as I'm here
I'll make you smile again so loud and clear
The Doctor Will See You Now
Tuesday afternoon
I'm just beginning to see
Wasted Supplies
I know that I've been chasing my tail now
I've been dragging us both down to our knees
If only we had been reminded about safety....
Bath In Progress
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