2025 Annual Report Highlight HCH’s Forward Momentum

HCH’s 2025 Annual Report is the local story of proactive action, continued progress, and forward momentum. Holton Community Hospital (HCH) was recently included in a national Reuters feature examining the challenges facing rural hospitals across the United States. The video and accompanying article help explain a reality that many rural communities know well: maintaining access to local rural healthcare requires strong stewardship, community support, and continued investment in essential services. Holton Community Hospital is not closing, eliminating inpatient care, or reducing essential services. In fact, with the support of Jackson County voters, the work of HCH providers and staff, and the guidance of hospital leadership and the Board of Directors, HCH continues to move forward. The hospital remains focused on preserving local access to emergency care, inpatient care, family medicine, surgery, imaging, rehabilitation, laboratory services, behavioral health, outpatient care, and specialty services close to home.

The Reuters feature provides a national perspective on the same rural healthcare challenges Jackson County discussed throughout 2025. Rising costs, lower patient volumes, reimbursement pressures, workforce challenges, and the expense of maintaining 24/7 healthcare access are not unique to one hospital or one state. They are part of a larger national conversation about the future of rural healthcare. For Jackson County, that conversation led to action.

In November 2025, voters approved local sales tax support for Holton Community Hospital, providing an important investment in the future of healthcare access for Jackson County residents. That support helps strengthen the hospital’s ability to preserve essential services, plan responsibly, and continue meeting the needs of patients and families across the region.

HCH is grateful to every community member, patient, staff member, provider, board member, elected official, and local partner who took part in that conversation. The Reuters story is a reminder that Jackson County’s decision was not made in isolation. Communities across the country are facing similar questions about how to protect rural healthcare access. Jackson County chose to be proactive.

As part of HCH’s continued commitment to transparency, the hospital is also releasing its 2025 Annual Report. The report provides a broader look at HCH’s progress, challenges, service growth, community partnerships, financial stewardship, and priorities for the future. The Annual Report highlights several areas of forward momentum, including continued work to strengthen hospital operations, expand access to care, support workforce development, and respond to community health needs.

In 2025, HCH reported a positive net income of approximately $2 million. This result reflects strong operational work, careful expense management, improved revenue cycle performance, and continued community support. While annual financial results can vary due to patient volumes, payer reimbursement, staffing costs, supply costs, and other pressures facing rural healthcare, the 2025 result is an important sign of responsible stewardship and forward momentum.

The report also highlights growth and progress across several areas of the organization, including outpatient and specialty care access, family medicine, emergency and inpatient services, diagnostic services, rehabilitation, behavioral health, workforce education, community partnerships, Foundation support, and ongoing implementation of the Community Health Needs Assessment.

These efforts reflect HCH’s continued commitment to the hospital’s mission: to provide professionalism, compassion, and excellence in healthcare for a healthier community.

The sales tax support approved in 2025 does not eliminate every challenge facing rural healthcare. It does, however, provide HCH with stronger local support at a critical time. That support allows the hospital to continue planning for long-term sustainability while preserving the services Jackson County depends on.

HCH continues to add and strengthen services where possible, including expanded access to outpatient specialty care and partnerships that bring more care close to home. These efforts are part of a larger strategy to keep local healthcare strong, accessible, and responsive to the needs of patients and families.

A hospital’s value is not measured by how full a waiting room appears at one moment. It is measured by whether care is available when the community needs it — during an emergency, after surgery, during recovery, for a diagnostic test, for a family medicine visit, or when a patient needs specialty care close to home. That is the work HCH continues to do every day.

Holton Community Hospital extends its sincere thanks to the Jackson County community for supporting local healthcare, participating in important conversations, and helping tell the story of what rural healthcare means.  The Reuters feature helps explain why rural healthcare matters across the country. HCH’s 2025 Annual Report shows how Jackson County and Holton Community Hospital are responding locally — with transparency, accountability, service growth, and a continued commitment to keeping care close to home.  Community members are encouraged to read the 2025 Annual Report and watch the Reuters feature to learn more about the national rural healthcare landscape and HCH’s continued work to serve Jackson County.

Read the 2025 Annual Report: HERE
Read the Reuters Article: HERE

Watch the Reuters Video Feature: HERE

Media Contact:

Roger Stockman, Director of Marketing & Recruitment

roger.stockman@rhrjc.org

785-364-9660