Seventy-five percent of U.S. hospitals have less than 110 beds.
Hospitals also provide a large tax base and revenue stream for the communities they serve.
The economic loss of a hospital to a community is devastating. Once a hospital closes, various factors make it extremely difficult to re-open. The number of rural hospitals in the U.S. has decreased from 2,700 in 1984 to 2,200 in 1997. Health Resources and Services Administration s Office of Rural Health Policy. These grants help rescue financially at-risk hospitals so that they can continue to provide necessary care to individuals in their communities.