Legislation put in place in the past three years helps small, rural hospitals by shoring up their operating budget but one group says increasing the cap on donations could offer even more support.
Hometown Health CEO Jimmy Lewis works with 50 rural hospitals across Georgia and says the tax credit program is important to rural areas. Lewis explained saying, "20% of Georgians are rural... 80% geography, but the population is about 20% rural and these counties who have these rural hopsitals, like in your listening area, they are in desperate need of cash to keep the doors open and to keep the healthcare access in the community."
He says the program, created by Representative Jeff Duncan, aims to prevent small facilities from closing. "Our rural hospitals are in deep trouble," Lewis said. "We've had 5-7 to close in the past 5 years. Many more are super fragile. With that super fragility, if they don't get cash, we could see 10-15 more on the closure list as well."
He says the tax program appeals to the public even more this year because it allows donors to put money into the operating budget of their local, rural hospital and claim 100% of the donation on their taxes. However, he says lawmakers put a cap of $60,000,000 on the funding because the money comes out of the state's general treasury.
Although, he added, "The success was such that within 24 hours after the eligibility date opened up to donate, the $60 million dollar donation cap had already been achieved and there was a lot more money donated that, had the cap been higher, could have gone into these local hospitals."
Lewis said he hopes lawmakers will consider raising the donation cap to $100,000,000 for next year and that money, "...can take care of payables. It can buy a new air conditioner. It can buy a new MRI. It can do any assortment of things that the hospital chooses to spend the money on to help it survive."
He says the current program can add as much as a million dollars back into the local hospital in order to serve the nearby small communities.
Hometown Health partners with:
* Chatuge Regional Hospital in Hiawassee
* Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton
* Habersham Medical Center in Demorest
* Morgan Memorial Hospital in Madison
* Mountain Lakes Medical Center in Clayton
* Northridge Medical Center in Commerce
* Saint Mary's Sacred Heart Hosptial in Lavonia
* Stephens County Hospital in Toccoa
* Union General Hosptial in Blairsville
