Fort Smith Board holds off on legislative request targeting hospital care cuts

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (March 31) decided to further study a letter proposed by Director Christina Catsavis that would ask the Arkansas Legislature to require hospitals to provide a 180-day notice before ending critical care offerings.

Concerns with the known and unknown loss of services at Baptist Health-Fort Smith pushed Catsavis to submit the letter to the board for consideration.

Little Rock-based Baptist Health announced March 30 it will close the labor and delivery operation and ending obstetric services at its Fort Smith hospital on April 28. The closure will result in the loss of around 40 jobs, with the hospital saying it now has about 20 births a month. Catsavis on Tuesday disputed that number, saying she believes it is higher. The move follows recent comments from Baptist Health officials about possible reduced services in Fort Smith.

Also, some physicians at Baptist Health-Fort Smith have been notified that contracts set to expire June 29 will not be automatically renewed, making it even more uncertain what services will be available at the hospital. Baptist Health has denied that it will end inpatient hospital services in Fort Smith, but has declined to provide more detail on what Baptist officials have said privately and publicly.

City Director Christina Catsavis proferred the resolution, which was not on the regular agenda, said her idea for state legislation is about “giving people time” to adjust to the loss of critical care services in their communities. (See Catasvis’ proposed letter at the end of this report.)

“This is not to tell hospitals the decisions they can or cannot make, it simply ensures that when those decisions are made, communities are not blindsided,” Catsavis said. “If adopted, this will be some of the strongest legislation in the country on this issue. … It would put Arkansas at the forefront of protecting patients, families and local communities from sudden disruptions in care.”

State laws range from 30 to 182 days in requiring some form of public notice about closure of a hospital or the elimination of services.

But several board members pushed back, saying the city should first communicate with Baptist Health officials, legislators and others before putting its weight behind a request for a significant new regulation of hospitals. Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said he appreciated Catsavis’ intent behind the letter, but said he would not approve putting his name on it without having more study and communication.

The board would vote 5-2 to move consideration of the letter to the board’s next study session.

THE LETTER
Following is the complete, unedited letter proposed by Director Christina Catsavis to be sent to the Arkansas Legislature.

Dear Members of the Arkansas General Assembly:
We, the undersigned members of the Board of Directors of the City of Fort Smith, respectfully urge you to enact legislation that would require any hospital operating in Arkansas to provide at least 180 days written public notice before discontinuing a major service line, such as labor and delivery, obstetrics, emergency services, or other essential departments.

On March 30, 2026, Baptist Health in Fort Smith announced the immediate closure of its entire Labor & Delivery Department, effective April 28, 2026, giving our community, expectant mothers, and affected staff less than 30 days’ notice. This abrupt decision will eliminate local access to maternity and newborn care for thousands of families in western Arkansas and the surrounding region. The extremely short notice left families, physicians, and local government with almost no time to prepare alternative arrangements or coordinate with neighboring facilities.

Short-notice service line closures create serious public health and safety risks. Patients will face longer travel times and gaps in critical care. Arkansas consistently ranks near the bottom among U.S. states on maternal and infant healthcare and currently is ranked 49th out of 50 states for overall healthcare according to the United Health Foundation.

A mandatory 180-day notice period would not only give patients and families time to find new providers, it will allow hospitals, physicians, and public health officials time to coordinate safe transitions of care and provide local governments, the Arkansas Department of Health, and the legislature an opportunity to explore other solutions to preserve access and align Arkansas with best practices already being considered or adopted in other states for protecting essential services. We believe that access to healthcare is as critical as access to any essential public utility.

This modest requirement falls within the General Assembly’s authority to protect public health and welfare through reasonable regulation of licensed health-care facilities. It does not interfere with hospitals’ ultimate business decisions, it ensures our citizens are not caught off guard by sudden losses of life saving services.

We stand ready to testify in support of such legislation and to work with you, the Arkansas Hospital Association, the Arkansas Department of Health, and other stakeholders to craft a bill. We also ask that this matter be referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor and the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor for prompt review.

Thank you for your leadership on this critical issue. Protecting timely access to essential hospital services is vital for the health and future of Arkansas families. We look forward to your response and to partnering with you on this legislation.

Sincerely,
Mayor George McGill and the members of the Board of Directors of the city of Fort Smith.