In eastern North Carolina, a rural community’s fight to bring back its only emergency room is now heading to the White House.
Martin General Hospital in Williamston abruptly went bankrupt and closed its doors, forcing the county's 22,000 residents to drive an extra 20 to 30 minutes for emergency care. Local officials report that ambulance response times have spiked from five minutes to nearly 20.
Congressman Davis says for his constituents—nearly forty percent of whom rely on Medicaid—this is a matter of life and death.
If approved, $25 million will combine with state funds to reopen Martin General as an outpatient emergency hub under a new federal designation. The remaining $150 million would build a critical new inpatient bed tower at nearby ECU Health Beaufort Hospital.
Standing in the way is federal red tape. The Trump administration’s current $50 billion rural health fund is restricted to open facilities—leaving closed hospitals like Martin General entirely disqualified. White House officials argue states must reform how these facilities are run rather than just paying routine bills.
Davis is pushing the administration to bypass the impasse with unrestricted federal funds, while introducing legislation to boost future Medicaid reimbursement rates so rural hospitals can survive.
