A shuttered hospital in rural Patrick County may have a better shot at reopening, thanks to a bill that passed Virginia’s Senate Tuesday. That’s after the same measure failed last week, getting caught up in the political battle over Medicaid expansion.
In southwest Virginia’s Patrick County, it could take you two hours to reach the nearest ER. The area’s lone hospital closed this summer when its parent company declared bankruptcy.
Republican Senator Bill Stanley is hoping an emergency measure to extend the hospital’s license could make it easier to find a new buyer.
“If we have it then we’ll have every opportunity to find an operate that can take care of the people and the citizens of Patrick County,” said Stanley on the Senate floor last week. “It’s not about partisan politics. It’s about doing what’s right.”
And yet some Senate Democrats voted no on the initial proposal, killing it. Stanley told reporters it was an attempt to get his vote on Medicaid expansion. The day after, a similar measured unanimously passed in the House.
Stanley brought the measure up for a vote again this week, and in a turn of events Democrats decided to vote for it.
One of those Democrats that changed their mind was Barbara Favola, who represents parts of Northern Virginia. Favola voted yes, but not before reminding Stanley that more than 1,000 people in Patrick County would benefit from Medicaid expansion.
“The bill before us is a band-aid, the bill before is permitting a business model to go forward. But I suggest to you that that business model is not going to be enough,” Favola said on the Senate floor.
More than 13-percent of adults in southwest Virginia are uninsured.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
