Coming off of 23 hospital closures in 2025, the trend of hospital and emergency departments shuttering across the U.S. has shown no signs of slowing down.
An October 2026 analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that 698 U.S. rural hospitals are at risk of closure, representing about one-third of rural facilities nationwide. From financial losses, staffing shortages and concerns over effects of HR 1, many hospital leaders have had to make tough decisions on where to cut back or whether to close.
Becker’s has reported on eight hospital and emergency department closures in 2026:
Editor’s note: This article will be updated continuously.
1. Sea Pines Rehabilitation Hospital in Melbourne, Fla., which is partly owned by Birmingham, Ala.-based Encompass Health, closed indefinitely Nov. 6 due to torrential rains Nov. 1-2 that led to flooding and evacuation. The flooding caused significant damage to the 90-bed hospital, which is a joint venture between Encompass and Holmes Regional Medical Center, a subsidiary of Health First. The parties are committed to reopening the hospital and are evaluation whether to refurbish or replace it.
2. Sharon (Pa.) Regional Medical Center’s license was revoked by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, effective Nov. 17, with the hospital ordered to close after its electricity provider moved to cut power over an unpaid bill. The order came the same day Sharon Regional said it would suspend all hospital services due to restructuring. The hospital missed two pay cycles in October and paused inpatient care Oct. 29, though its emergency department had remained open.
3. East China, Mich.-based Henry Ford River District Hospital will end inpatient care, emergency department services and other hospital-based operations. The services will be consolidated to nearby Detroit-based Henry Ford Health facilities due to the hospital’s need for substantial infrastructure repairs and modernization. Consolidation at the hospital will take effect Sept. 1, with the ED remaining open and fully staffed through Aug. 31.
4. Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System closed its freestanding Mount Carmel Franklin Emergency Department, also in Columbus, Aug. 22. Following the closure, the system will open a community-centered primary and prevention care hub, Mount Carmel Franklinton Care Center, Aug. 24 in Columbus.
5. Sturgis (Mich.) Hospital closed June 19 after 101 years of operation due to financial challenges and unsuccessful attempts to ensure a long-term path forward. The facility pointed to declining reimbursement rates, rising operating costs and a decrease in patient utilization.
6. Searcy, Ark.-based Unity Health permanently closed the emergency department and medical unit on April 15 at its Jacksonville, Ark.-based acute care hospital. The closure comes three years after the hospital opened in March 2023. Unity Health plans to convert it into a freestanding psychiatric hospital.
7. Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, part of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health, submitted a closure notice to discontinue its inpatient and emergency services by May 17 amid ongoing financial challenges.
8. Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare plans to close its Germantown (Md.) Emergency Center on July 1, pending state approvals. The decision is based on declining volume at the facility, which opened in 2006 and is one of Maryland’s seven freestanding emergency rooms.
How many hospitals and emergency departments have closed in 2026?
As of Nov. 9, Becker’s Hospital Review had tracked eight hospital and emergency department closures in 2026.
How many hospitals closed in 2025?
There were 23 hospital closures in 2025. The trend of hospitals and emergency departments closing across the U.S. has shown no signs of slowing down in 2026.
How many rural hospitals are at risk of closing?
An October 2026 analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that 698 U.S. rural hospitals are at risk of closure.
Why are hospitals closing in 2026?
Financial losses, staffing shortages and concerns over the effects of HR 1 have pushed many hospital leaders to cut back or close.
Which hospital closed after 101 years?
Sturgis (Mich.) Hospital closed June 19, 2026, after 101 years of operation. It cited financial challenges and unsuccessful attempts to secure a long-term path forward.
