Rural North Dakota hospital seeks lifeline in legislative session

A southwest North Dakota hospital is at risk of closing due to severe financial trouble, but lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would give the hospital a lifeline.Three lawmakers introduced a bill designed to help the Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center in Elgin, North Dakota. Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about the financial difficulties for the rural hospital and the potential consequences if it closes.The bill seeks to provide a low-interest loan from the Bank of North Dakota to help the hospital keep the doors open while administrators implement cost-saving measures and apply for federal rural health care funding.