Healthcare Hollow: Linden’s reopened hospital shows hope for rural health

America’s rural hospitals are closing at an alarming pace, and Tennessee holds the highest closure rate.

In a series of reports this month, WPLN takes an in-depth look at this crisis — how it has harmed communities and what is being done to reverse course.

In this episode, Health Reporter Catherine Sweeney and This Is Nashville host Blake Farmer dive into history of these closures. Then, Catherine takes us to Linden — a rural Tennessee town that lost its hospital and got it back. Finally, providers discuss what communities can do to fill in the gaps when traditional health care delivery is hard to find.

This episode is part of our Healthcare Hollow series, made possible, in part, by the NIHCM Foundation.

Guests

Kyle Kopec, Chief Operating Officer, Braden Health
Shatiqua Jamerson, Administration and Programs Coordinator, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
Dr. Cherae Farmer-Dixon, Dean, Meharry School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College