The only hospital in rural Winston County is closing its doors by the end of next month, adding to a growing list of rural hospital casualties in Alabama.

Lakeland Community Hospital in Haleyville - formerly known as the Carraway Burdick-West Hospital - announced Friday it will cease operations "by year end." The 59-bed facility is the only hospital servicing Winston County.

"Our team explored every viable option to avoid closing the hospital," said Debbie Pace, CEO of Lakeland in a news release. "Unfortunately, as with many other rural health care facilities in the Southeast, we are unable to continue operations due to such drastic reductions in reimbursements."

Said U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville: "I am deeply saddened."

The hospital's pending closure adds to a long list of rural hospitals that have shuttered their doors in Alabama within the past eight years. J. Paul Jones Hospital in Camden, was expected to be closed in September, but remains open.

Lakeland will bring the number of hospital closures in the state to seven within the past eight years. Only Texas, with nine hospital closures, has seen more.

"Alabama is without doubt facing a rural health crisis," Jim Carnes, policy director at Alabama Arise, said to AL.com in August. Alabama Arise is a non-profit advocacy group for low-income residents.

"The hospital closures, along with other medical facilities, have already had and will continue to have dire consequences for residents in rural areas," Carnes said in an "Ask Alabama" piece.

Lakeland officials are blaming reduced reimbursements from the government as well as commercial insurors for taking a "tremendous toll on rural hospitals across the nation." Lakeland, itself, is on track to have its reimbursements reduced by nearly $2 million.

According to the hospital's press release, the inability to obtain reimbursements made it impossible to overcome deficits.

Aderholt blamed the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as "Obamacare" for the squeeze on rural health care. He also illustrated the hospital's closure as a reason to pursue health care reform under the House's failed plan earlier this year to repeal the 2010 law.

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt

"This makes the fact the House passed a repeal plan this year only to see if ail in the Senate, all the more disappointing and devastating," Aderholt said in a statement.

Carnes, in the August AL.com piece, said one solution toward addressing the funding problems with an expansion of Medicaid, which was offered through the 2010 law. But former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley passed up that opportunity by announcing in 2014 that it wasn't his goal to put "able-bodied individuals on a government dependency program."

Alabama's hospitals are paid among the lowest for Medicaid in the U.S.

Carnes told AL.com that Alabama can still expand Medicaid, but it would require the state to support it. He said an expansion of the program could "prevent more hospitals from being forced to close their doors."

Aderholt said he plans to reach out to Haleyville city officials and other local leaders to see how his office can assist.

Aderholt said the hospital's closing is a blow to Winston County and its surrounding area. The small northwestern Alabama county has a population of around 23,800, down 2.8 percent from 24,484 people counted during the 2010 U.S. Census.

Haleyville is a town of about 4,074 residents, which is also down about 2 percent since the 2010 Census count.

"As the only hospital in Winston County, its closure will be felt far outside of Haleyville," said Aderholt. "In addition to the Haleyville community, and the entire area being impacted, dozens of people will lose their jobs at what should be a joyous time of year."

The hospital said approximately 87 employees will be affected. Lakeland employees will be given priority to fill open positions at other area hospitals in the same network and employees will be assisted in identifying other healthcare entities in the area when seeking employment.

Employees will continue to be paid and benefits will continue for those who choose to stay through the process of winding down hospital operations. The news release did not provide an exact date for the hospital's closure.

The hospital's medical detox program will be transferred to Russellville Hospital, and other services or departments "may be combined or transferred" upon regulatory requirements.

This story was updated at 5:39 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, to specify that J. Paul Jones Hospital in Camden is currently not closed, though it was initially planned for closure in early September. With Lakeland, there will have been seven hospital closures in Alabama within the past eight years.

