PORT CLINTON, Ohio (WTVG) – From staffing shortages, to looming cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and expensive equipment upgrades, rural hospitals across the United States are jumping hurdle after hurdle to stay open.
“Rural hospitals are struggling right now,” said Nick Marsico, the president and CEO of Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton. “Last I heard, more than 50% of them are in the red.”
Marsico said Magruder is doing everything it can to remain independent, and so far, it’s working.
“We are very proud and excited to say that we sit at a 0.7% operating revenue,” Marsico said during his state of the hospital address. “0.7% and we’re ecstatic.”
That small amount is huge because Marsico said just a few years ago, in 2022, the hospital was at a deficit.
Marsico said Magruder made major cuts in 2023, and since then, they have been operating at a positive operating margin.
During his address, Marsico explained how Magruder is hoping to not only survive, but thrive. In the past, the hospital president and CEO said Magruder did not spend a lot of money on innovation, like technology.
Now, hospital staff are finding grants to upgrade their equipment and working to bolster the operations that already exist.
“The thought was, and it was here previously as well, that we can’t afford to do that,” Marsico said. “But we’ve taken a different approach, and one that we feel we can’t afford not to do that.”
Port Clinton resident Marsha Bordner attended the address to see how Magruder was doing.
“You know, this hospital is personal to me on a lot of different levels,” Bordner said.
She was reading about the state of rural hospitals across the country and the harsh reality of closures at other facilities.
“Once your hospital, your local hospital, closes, when you’re in a crisis, where do you go?” Bordner asked.
Magruder was the place her husband went when he was in a medical crisis. It’s the only 24/7 facility in Ottawa County.
Not having local hospitals is a large barrier for people seeking healthcare, according to Marsico. He said instead of going on the highway or traveling to a different county, some patients may opt not to go at all.
Different hospitals across the state are building alliances to collaborate and share strategies with one another. Just this year, Marsico said Magruder joined a coalition of independent hospitals called the Ohio High Value Network.
“It used to be, when I first started in this business, very competitive,” Marsico said. “We competed for patients, we competed for volume, we competed for services and now we realize that we’re stronger together.”
The hospitals can use the network to share strategies with one another.
“If we want to have that staying power, we need to have that staying power together,” Marsico said.
Especially as health care spending is in the political spotlight.
“It is very unpredictable,” Marsico said. “Things change on a whim.”
As they move towards what can be an uncertain future, Magruder wants to do everything it can to stay open for years to come.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-07-30 23:21:00
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