WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded the reopening of the Lee County Community Hospital in Pennington Gap, Virginia. This morning, Senator Warner attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the new Lee County Community Hospital. In April, Kaine toured the construction site of the hospital, which was being renovated by Ballad Health. While there, Kaine met with Ballad Health officials to discuss the reopening and health needs facing the region, including efforts to respond to COVID-19 and strengthen Virginia’s rural health care system. 

“As many rural hospitals across the nation are closing due to lack of resources, we hope Lee County Community Hospital serves as an example of how these vital facilities can reopen and effectively serve their communities,” said the Senators. “We are very pleased to see the hospital fully open, and we will continue working to ensure Virginians have access to reliable and affordable health care services, regardless of their zip code.” 

In 2013, the Lee County Regional Medical Center closed abruptly. Not only did this closure leave the residents of Lee County without access to a nearby hospital, but it also hindered opportunities for economic development in the area. In February of 2019, Lee County Hospital Authority partnered with Ballad Health to begin plans to reopen the hospital.

Senators Warner and Kaine have long supported the reopening of this facility. In March, the senators introduced the bipartisan Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2021 to provide additional financial support for rural hospitals that are already operating on very thin margins. Reporting indicates that rural hospitals are now closing at an alarming rate, with more than 130 rural hospitals across the nation having closed in the last decade. Lee County Community Hospital is rare among these hospitals for having reopened. Warner and Kaine have also introduced the States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act of 2021,legislation to promote health care access for low-income Americans and support Medicaid expansion nationwide. It is estimated that the SAME Act would save Virginia’s hospitals an estimated $300 million per year in the first three years of implementation, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. 

Flickr photo album of Senator Warner’s visit today can be found here.

Flickr photo album of Senator Kaine’s visit in April can be found here.

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