Alabama is losing another rural hospital.
Georgiana Medical Center in Butler County is closing at the end of the next month.
Ivy Creek health care company, which owns the hospital, made the announcement Tuesday.
Six rural hospitals have closed in Alabama during the last eight years.
The Alabama Hospital Association, which is advocating for Medicaid expansion in the state, said the closure reflects the struggle facing rural hospitals
Alabama Hospital Association President Don Williamson says he is concerned that additional rural hospitals will close because of financial pressures.
The organization estimates that 88 percent of all rural hospitals operate in the red, meaning reimbursements do not cover the cost of providing medical care.
Last year Alabama Public Radio covered the Alabama rural health crisis in our documentary "Help Wanted: Alabama's Health Care Crisis"
