Cherokee, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) —

The rural healthcare landscape is shifting from closure to expansion in O’Brien County. Cherokee Regional Medical Center will officially acquire the MercyOne Primghar clinic on December 27th—a move CEO Gary Jordan says was an immediate decision to keep care close to home.

However, maintaining that access is getting harder. Jordan says the pressures facing small-town medicine right now are intense and universal.

Jordan explains that unlike other businesses, hospitals can’t raise prices to match inflation because the government sets the rates for programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Money isn’t the only hurdle; finding the people to do the work is becoming a crisis. Jordan notes that the pool of available physicians is shrinking rapidly as the baby boomer generation retires.

Jordan says despite industry struggles, Cherokee Regional Medical Center is thriving. While the clinic is secure, he warns reopening a full hospital isn’t realistic, focusing instead on caring for their neighbors.

Cherokee Regional plans to host a Town Hall in Primghar this December to discuss the transition, with the clinic scheduled to open for patients the week of December 29th.