EPHC and Bipartisan Leadership Supporting Rural Hospitals

Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium is proud to support the introduction of the Rural Hospital Revitalization Act, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Michael Bennet and Jerry Moran.

EPHC, along with our hospital members and legislative partners, has spent significant time and effort helping shape and support this initiative. We are proud to see it introduced with strong bipartisan sponsorship and momentum.

This legislation reflects what effective public policy advocacy should look like. Leaders working across the aisle to address real, pressing challenges facing rural communities.

A Longstanding Challenge for Rural Healthcare

Across the country, rural hospitals serve as the backbone of their communities

. They provide essential care, support local economies, and ensure patients can access services close to home.

Yet many of these facilities were built decades ago and are now well beyond their intended lifespan. At the same time, rural hospitals often operate on slim or negative margins, making it extremely difficult to secure traditional financing for infrastructure upgrades.

This creates a persistent challenge: the hospitals that most need modernization are often the least able to access the capital required to make it happen.

A Practical, Bipartisan Solution

The Rural Hospital Revitalization Act addresses this challenge directly.

By creating access to zero interest financing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Program, the legislation provides qualifying rural hospitals with a realistic path to invest in new construction and facility upgrades.

This approach recognizes that access to modern healthcare infrastructure is not simply a financial issue. It is a community necessity.

As Senator Michael Bennet shared:

“Rural hospitals are a safety net for communities across the country, yet they have faced challenges with aging infrastructure and financial instability for years. I’m grateful to have worked with rural hospitals on the ground in Colorado to write this legislation, which will help eligible facilities upgrade their infrastructure and expand capacity so that they can better serve their communities and create jobs today and into the future.”

Why This Matters

For rural hospitals, access to zero interest capital can be transformative.

It allows leaders to invest in updated facilities, expand services, and improve the overall patient experience without placing additional financial strain on already challenged organizations.

As Kevin Stansbury, CEO of Lincoln Health, explained:

“Rural hospitals like Lincoln Health are caught in a fundamental catch-22. Many rural and frontier facilities were built decades ago with Hill-Burton funding and are now well beyond their useful life—but under the current USDA model, the very hospitals that need to modernize the most are often the least able to demonstrate repayment capacity. This legislation recognizes that access to safe, modern healthcare facilities is a matter of community need, not just financial metrics, and begins to correct a long-standing inequity for rural America.”

Advocacy in Action

This legislation is also a strong example of what can be accomplished through focused, collaborative advocacy.

EPHC and its partners have worked closely with policymakers to ensure the realities facing rural hospitals are clearly understood and addressed. The result is a bill that is both practical and impactful, with bipartisan support that reflects its importance.

Zachary D’Argonne, CEO of Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium, summarized it well:

“This is bipartisan leadership delivering real solutions for rural healthcare. This legislation helps protect access to care and ensures rural hospitals can continue serving their communities for the long term.”

Looking Ahead

The introduction of the Rural Hospital Revitalization Act marks an important step forward, but it is only part of the broader effort needed to strengthen rural healthcare.

EPHC remains committed to advancing solutions that support rural hospitals, improve financial sustainability, and ensure communities continue to have access to high quality care close to home.

This is what progress looks like. Collaboration, persistence, and a shared commitment to doing what is right for the communities we serve.