Efforts Grow for Rural Emergency Hospital

Bonne Terre, Mo. (KFMO) - As rural hospitals across the country close, support and access to alternatives are becoming an urgent health need for rural communities.

Parkland Health Center-Bonne Terre is the first Rural Emergency Hospital in Missouri and 1 of 22 in the United States. This is a new provider type established by the federal government through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This provider type was added to the Missouri hospital definition through a bill signed into law by Missouri Governor Mike Parson in July 2023.

Hospital President Annette Schnabel says the official designation for the hospital took effect on January 1.

Schnabel adds as a Rural Emergency Hospital, Parkland Health Center-Bonne Terre can treat more patients in immediate need and utilize the BJC HealthCare hospital network for inpatient needs. 

According to Schnabel, Parkland Health Center-Bonne Terre saw 3,500 patients in the emergency department in the first four months of the year. Other services in the hospital include radiology, lab, and sleep studies.