Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program - Evans Memorial Hospital is a 49-bed nonprofit rural acute care hospital in Claxton, Georgia, and the only hospital serving Evans County and surrounding rural communities in southeast Georgia. The hospital provides emergency care, inpatient services, diagnostic services, surgical care, rehabilitation, and preventive health services to approximately 11,000 Evans County residents. Evans County is designated as both a Health Professional Shortage Area and a Medically Underserved Area, with adult diabetes rates exceeding the state average and significant rates of poverty and chronic disease throughout the service area. Like many rural hospitals, Evans Memorial Hospital faces a structural payment disadvantage associated with a low Medicare wage index that limits its ability to offer competitive compensation to healthcare professionals. Larger health systems in Savannah, Augusta, and Statesboro — all within commuting distance — consistently offer higher wages, making it difficult for Evans Memorial Hospital to recruit and retain the qualified staff needed to maintain essential services. Without intervention, workforce instability threatens the hospital's ability to serve as the sole source of acute care for its rural community. Funding through the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program will be used to address market wage disparities for staff in five essential departments: Radiology Services, Laboratory Services, Physical Therapy Services, Food and Nutritional Services, and Environmental Services. These departments provide the diagnostic, rehabilitative, nutritional, and operational support that underpins every aspect of patient care the hospital delivers. Targeted compensation adjustments will improve the hospital's ability to recruit qualified professionals, retain experienced staff, and reduce the turnover and vacancies that disrupt care delivery and threaten service sustainability. Expected outcomes include improved recruitment and retention rates across all five departments, reduced workforce-related service disruptions, and preserved access to essential healthcare services for rural residents who have no other local source of acute care. By strengthening its workforce, Evans Memorial Hospital will continue providing high-quality, community-centered care that supports emergency treatment, chronic disease management, preventive health, and overall community well-being in rural southeast Georgia.
