Illinois State Government lack of Involvement in Rural Hospital Closures

Suman Poola et al.
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:10:00 PDT

When a rural hospital closes, it rarely makes national headlines. But for the people living nearby, it can mean driving an hour to reach an emergency room, giving birth without a labor and delivery unit close by, or skipping care altogether because the distance is simply too far. This is the reality for a growing number of Illinois residents. Rural hospital closures have accelerated across the state over the past two decades, and the communities left behind are often among the most vulnerable: older, lower income, and with fewer alternatives than their urban counterparts. This investigative project examines which Illinois counties have been hardest hit by hospital and critical care service closures, who is bearing the greatest burden, and whether state policy has meaningfully responded to the crisis. Drawing on hospital closure data from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, county-level demographic and health outcome data, and firsthand accounts from patients, former hospital staff, local officials, and healthcare policy researchers, our team investigates both the financial forces driving these closures and the human cost they produce. We give particular attention to how race, income, and geography shape which communities lose care and which do not. Our goal is not just to document a problem but to understand it clearly enough to point toward solutions that could make a real difference for the people most affected.