June 29, 2026: Leaders Speak Out Against RHTP Insufficiency, Job Losses from HR1 & a New Telehealth Program for Sexual Assault Survivors

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode: Andrew Cass, “Senators warn RHTP may disadvantage independent rural hospitals,” June 24, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/senators-warn-rhtp-may-disadvantage-independent-rural-hospitals/, Becker’s Hospital Review. Hawkins Teague, “Celsor criticizes state’s use of rural health funds,” June 26, 2026, https://www.murrayledger.com/news/local/celsor-criticizes-state-s-use-of-rural-health-funds/article_bf391e95-24c5-4065-a0bf-76cb6f75ad70.html, Murray Ledger & Times. Sarah Jane Tribble & Amanda Seitz, “'We'll never know if he could have been saved.' The gaps in Trump's rural health fund,” May 22, 2026, https://www.npr.org/2026/05/22/nx-s1-5821038/rural-health-hospitals-50-billion-big-beautiful-bill-obbba, National Public Radio. Madeline Scheetz, “‘The day we can’t make payroll, it’s over’: Inside 1 rural Minnesota hospital’s fight to stay afloat,” May 15, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/the-day-we-cant-make-payroll-its-over-inside-1-rural-minnesota-hospitals-fight-to-stay-afloat/, Becker’s Hospital Review. The Commonwealth Fund, “H.R. 1 Funding Cuts Will Overshadow Gains from the New Rural Health Transformation Program,” June 9, 2026, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2026/jun/hr-1-funding-cuts-rural-health-transformation. Bill Siwicki, “How St. Luke's is bringing sexual assault forensic care closer to home in rural Idaho,” June 22, 2026, https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/how-st-lukes-bringing-sexual-assault-forensic-care-closer-home-rural-idaho, Healthcare IT News. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.