Patients in Fulton, Mo., are facing a lack of adequate medical treatment in the wake of the closure of the area's Callaway County Community Hospital. The ambulance district is experiencing longer transport times and more minor calls since the early 2022 shutdown, according to an Aug. 12 report from the Fulton Sun.
The shuttered hospital is set to reopen as ZivaMedical Fulton ASC, but the date of its reopening is not set, according to the report.
Without a local hospital in the area, ambulance dispatchers face more 911 calls for minor injuries that could be treated at a clinic or walk-in facility. When ambulances are handling minor situations, they cannot respond to major emergencies, a paramedic told the news outlet.
Additionally, without a local hospital in the area, ambulances spend up to 40 minutes just driving patients to a facility.
The new ZivaMedical facility is set to have an emergency department alongside the ASC, but a larger hospital will be needed to alleviate ambulance stress in the community.
In 2020, 269 ambulance patients were transferred to Callaway Hospital. About 44,762 residents live in the county the former hospital served.