Small-Town Mayor Robert Hasty Speaks Out About Why His Town’s Fight Is Every Rural Town’s Fight

Ottawa, Illinois Mayor Robert Hasty joins host Bill Bernardoni to discuss the ongoing transformation of his community’s hospital under OSF HealthCare’s regional “hub-and-spoke” model. The plan would replace the current full-service hospital with a smaller facility, relocate ICU and OB services to a new hub in nearby Peru, and reduce inpatient beds — changes the state review board approved 6–3 this week after two years of intense local debate. Hasty shares the community’s safety and access concerns, the financial burden ambulance transfers could place on lower-income residents, and why he believes Ottawa’s experience reflects the broader challenges and trade-offs facing rural hospitals across the country as systems consolidate to stay financially viable.

Do you think the “hub-and-spoke” model is the future of rural healthcare, or should communities fight to keep full-service hospitals local? Let us know your thoughts.