Rural hospital closes, cites ransomware attack | Illinois Public Media

This past Friday marked the last time St. Margaret’s Health-Spring Valley and St. Margaret’s Health-Peru, a hospital network in the northern half of the state, opened its doors for service as the network closed both facilities after 120 years of providing health care for the Illinois Valley area. The hospital network cited the COVID-19 pandemic and a ransomware attack as reasons for the closures.

To talk about the role of hospitals in rural Illinois and what happens when they leave communities behind, The 21st Show was joined by the deputy director of a rural health research program, the director of a center for cybersecurity, and a journalist who’s been following the story.

GUESTS: 

George Pink

Deputy Director of the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, Sheps Center for Health Services Research

Jenna Webster 

Anchor, WQAD

Jacob Young

Director, Center for Cybersecurity at Bradley University

Prepared for web by Owen Henderson

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