Willows, Calif.-based Glenn Medical Center has regained its critical access designation, marking an important step toward reopening the hospital.
The redesignation was supported through a bipartisan health funding agreement backed by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who died in early January, and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., according to a Feb. 5 news release.
“Around the country, rural hospitals are in trouble and under enormous financial stress,” Mr. Schiff said in the release. “That’s why I will stay in this fight to help Glenn fully re-open, while working to ensure that all of our communities in California and across the country can keep their hospitals open.”
Glenn Medical Center and its emergency department shuttered Sept. 30, 2025, after the 25-bed facility was notified by CMS in April 2025 that it had lost its CAH status, which requires a hospital to be located at least 35 miles from the nearest facility. CMS found that Glenn Medical Center was only 32 miles from Colusa (Calif.) Medical Center.
However, Lauren Still, administrator for Glenn Medical Center, said in a statement shared with Becker’s that while this “critical hurdle” toward reopening is a step in the right direction, there is still much to be done.
The existing Glenn Medical Center would require around $30 million to $50 million in renovations to match current safety and accessibility standards, costs deemed “prohibitively expensive” given the facility’s age. Instead, hospital leaders are advocating for funding to develop a new hospital, a project estimated at around $100 million.
“I’m deeply grateful for the leadership and support of the late Congressman Doug LaMalfa, Senator Adam Schiff, my team at American Advanced Management, and our Glenn County community partners,” Ms. Still said in the statement. “With this stability secured, our focus now turns to the significant work ahead: securing the funding necessary to build a new hospital and restore full healthcare services to Willows.”
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