Small Hospital Expands Care Access Across Adams County Region

Adams County Regional Medical Center (ACRMC) serves as a compact but essential health hub for Adams County and neighboring rural communities. The Joint Commission certified facility operates a 24/7 Bruce Ashley, M.D. Emergency Care Center staffed by an emergency medicine team, inpatient and outpatient services, and several family medicine clinics positioned across the region to bring primary care nearer to patients.

ACRMC’s network of family medicine clinics provides routine primary care alongside onsite imaging and laboratory services, and select clinics have expanded offerings such as physical therapy. Those services are intended to keep routine care local, reduce travel time for follow-up and diagnostics, and strengthen continuity of care for older adults and residents managing chronic conditions. The medical center also posts local news and patient resources on its website and maintains local contact numbers for the emergency department so residents can reach care quickly when needed.

Community investments have become a visible part of the hospital’s strategy to improve access. ACRMC is a recipient of an Ohio Appalachian Community Grant allocation that the medical center is using to expand services and facilities to serve the broader region. Those grant-supported improvements aim to address longstanding barriers in rural health care access by increasing capacity for outpatient services and making it easier for patients to receive timely diagnostics and therapy without traveling to distant hospitals.

Public health implications are significant for a county where long distances and limited transportation options can delay care. A functioning critical access hospital can reduce emergency transport times, provide initial stabilization and arrange transfers when higher-level care is necessary, and support preventive and chronic care that reduces avoidable hospitalizations. At the same time, rural hospitals face ongoing pressures around workforce recruitment, operating costs and reimbursement that make community investment and grant funding crucial to sustaining services.

For Adams County residents, maintaining local capacity at ACRMC means quicker emergency response, more consistent primary care, and tangible steps toward health equity in a region that has long contended with access gaps. Patients seeking information about services, clinic locations or emergency contact numbers can find resources through the medical center’s website or by contacting the hospital directly.