An Appanoose County supervisor said he found out about the Centerville clinic closure the same way everyone else did: by reading the news. He said there is no backup plan.
When River Hills Community Health Center announced last week it would close its Centerville clinic in July, Appanoose County Supervisor Dustin Harvey found out the same way everyone else did, when the news dropped.
“We are in a rural health crisis,” Harvey wrote Iowa Starting Line in response to questions about the closure’s impact on his constituents. “Rural America is hurting and this will negatively affect our county. Not only do we lose medical care, but we lose dental care, and mental health care as well with this clinic closing.”
Harvey said the county has no formal contingency plan for the gap in care the closure will create. He is encouraging displaced patients to seek care at MercyOne in Centerville or at hospitals in neighboring Wayne, Monroe, and Davis counties—a patchwork of options spanning miles in a county with limited transportation infrastructure.
“We are all ears to bring in new medical businesses that can provide direct primary care for our rural community,” Harvey said.
The River Hills closure is the latest in a series of healthcare losses hitting southeastern Iowa. MercyOne closed its Ottumwa Family and Internal Medicine clinic in February, and will close its South Des Moines Family Medicine and Urgent Care location on June 26, citing “the expected Medicaid cuts” as a factor. Now Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison will discontinue its inpatient birthing services by the end of 2026. WGEM reported its sole OB-GYN announced his retirement and the hospital was unable to recruit a replacement.
“It’s a service line we had no plans to stop having here, but we are forced to because we can’t recruit a physician or an obstetrician here,” Michael McCoy, Great River Health System’s CEO and president told WGEM. Great River operates the Fort Madison facility.
Fort Madison’s loss is particularly stark given that Iowa already has the fewest OB-GYNs per capita of any state in the nation, according to data from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Harvey told Iowa Starting Line that these closures are accumulating faster than local governments can respond. He said the Appanoose County Board of Supervisors is in contact with state legislators about the closures but did not indicate what specific actions might be forthcoming.
River Hills said it will assist patients through the transition, including helping transfer medical records, coordinating referrals to alternative providers, and supporting prescription transitions. Patients with questions can contact the River Hills clinic directly at 641-683-5773.
Iowa Starting Line has reached out to River Hills CEO Joy Alexander and Rep. Nunn’s campaign. They have not returned comment.
