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Griffin, Rep. Westerman urge cautious reopening as rural hospitals feel financial strain
Summary
Governor Tim Griffin and Rep. Bruce Westerman told a virtual town hall that rural Arkansas hospitals and outpatient providers are losing revenue as patients defer care, urged adherence to phased reopening guidance, and criticized partisan House proposals for the next federal relief package.
Governor Tim Griffin and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman discussed the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 in Arkansas during a Facebook town hall, stressing caution as the state considers reopening.
Westerman said several counties in the 4th Congressional District have few or no confirmed COVID-19 cases but described a broader economic hit to health care providers: "we've seen a real, negative impact on rural hospitals" as elective procedures were postponed and outpatient visits dropped. He cited hospitals, doctors and dental offices among facilities facing revenue shortfalls and layoffs. Griffin added that some providers "can't just turn the faucet back on now" and warned some rural hospitals on the edge of closure could face financial ruin.
Both officials noted federal relief in the CARES Act, with Westerman saying the CARES packages included funding for hospitals and citing roughly "$75,000,000,000 for hospitals" intended in the law; they said rollout and state implementation can lag. Westerman also described a temporary federal allowance to let some Medicare procedures be performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to shift volume out of hospitals, and said Arkansas had not yet implemented that change.
On reopening, Griffin and Westerman urged following public-health guidance — social distancing, masks and hand hygiene — and endorsed a phased approach Westerman described as "crawl, walk, and run." Both said consumer confidence will be key to restoring routine care and broader economic activity: people must feel safe returning to hospitals, outpatient clinics and businesses.
They also responded to constituent questions about stimulus prospects. Westerman criticized a large House package introduced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as partisan and unlikely to pass the Senate, saying the priority should be effective implementation of already-passed relief rather than rushing additional measures without bipartisan input.
The town hall closed with Griffin announcing a follow-up virtual session featuring hospital executives across the state to discuss local conditions and preparations. Contact numbers for Griffin's and Westerman's offices were shared for follow-up questions.
