Deaconess official says Henderson hospital will remain open following report local hospitals are “at risk”

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – An official with Deaconess said there are no plans to close Deaconess Henderson Hospital, Deaconess Union County Hospital, or Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville following a report from the National Rural Health Association suggesting the Henderson hospital could face major reductions due to possible cuts to medicaid.

The report said that rural hospitals like Deaconess or Daviess Community Hospital in Washington rely on Medicaid so much that they may have to scale back services or close. The report said overall, 35 rural hospitals are at risk in Kentucky, as well as 12 in Indiana and nine in Illinois.

Officials with Deaconess reached out to Eyewitness News on Monday to say that there are no plans to close their Kentucky hospitals, and they remain committed to serving the health care needs of families in the region. In a statement, officials with the hospital system said they agreed that proposed reductions in health care funding could have serious long-term consequences for hospitals but said those conversations are about future policy discussions, not current operational status.

You can read the full statement from Deaconess below:

We want to clearly and firmly state that Deaconess Henderson Hospital, Deaconess Union County Hospital and Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville are not closing.

There are no plans to close the hospitals, and we remain deeply committed to serving the health care needs of patients and families in our Kentucky region. Recent news coverage has highlighted potential impacts of proposed federal and state funding cuts, particularly to Medicaid and Medicare.

We take these concerns seriously. The financial health of rural hospitals is a critical issue, and we agree that proposed reductions in health care funding could have serious long-term consequences for hospitals serving rural communities like ours.

However, it is important to recognize that these conversations are about future policy discussions, not our current operational status. Our Kentucky hospitals remains open and fully operational, continuing to care for our community every day.

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We are committed to transparency, open communication and high-quality care close to home. If community members have questions or concerns, we encourage them to reach out. We are here, and we are proud to serve.

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