North Carolina has countless factors that make it a great place to live, including our world-class schools and education system, our trade-friendly business climate, and our rich culture and history. But underpinning it all is another key element that truly makes our community a great place to live: access to quality health care, delivered primarily by our local hospitals.
North Carolina is one of the most populous rural states in the country. Hospitals play a vital role in ensuring these communities have access to quality healthcare 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Hospitals are the only facilities that provide emergency and specialty services around the clock. For the 3.5 million people who live in rural North Carolina, hospitals are often the only place to receive primary and acute care.
“In my nearly 30 years as a public servant, I have worked hard to improve access to health care in Granville County and across North Carolina. Fundamentally, I believe that all North Carolinians have a right to quality health care, regardless of where they live or work. Now, as the primary caregiver for my aging parents, I can speak to this firsthand.
A recent report found that rural North Carolina residents must travel more than twice as far as non-rural residents for NICU, pediatric, cardiac and cancer care. Lawmakers in Washington, DC, are threatening to make this problem even worse with bills like the SITE Act and FAIR Act that would cut funding for patient care and put at risk the hospitals our communities rely on.
Some elected officials don't seem to understand the true value of health care in a state like North Carolina. The simple fact is that cutting funding to hospitals means cutting patients' access to care.
There are already huge disparities in access to health care. 87 counties, home to approximately 30% of North Carolina residents, are considered “healthcare deserts” and lack access to primary care. 20 counties have no hospitals or pediatric clinics. 35 counties have no ICU facilities, and 32 counties have no psychiatric services. Our rural counties average just 13 physicians per 10,000 residents, about one-third the rate in urban counties.
As these challenges continue, hospitals are a critical lifeline to prevent our most vulnerable residents from being left behind entirely. Data shows that hospitals tend to treat sicker, lower-income, and more complicated patients. If lawmakers in Washington, D.C., don’t support our hospitals and health care system, North Carolinians, especially those in rural counties, will suffer.
Additionally, hospitals are engines of economic growth. According to a 2022 analysis, North Carolina hospitals and health systems directly support 268,000 jobs. On average, local hospitals employ 320 employees and are often the largest employers in their counties. While the Research Triangle is considered a hub of healthcare investment and innovation, local hospitals are also pioneers in healthcare. Hospitals help train new healthcare workers and drive funding for the services we all rely on.
We cannot continue to ask hospitals to do more with less. This is not sustainable, and North Carolinians will suffer. To ensure patients have access to care 24/7, we must provide increased support to hospitals and health systems in North Carolina and across the nation.
Daryl MossHe served as Creedmoor's mayor from 1999 to 2017 and then as a City Commissioner for 10 years, and is a member of the Golden Leaf Foundation's board of directors.