Rep. Richardson says he will push legislation requiring notice of hospital care cuts
Rep. Jay Richardson, D-Fort Smith, told the Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (June 23) that he will work to help craft legislation that would require hospitals to provide a community notice when planning to close a critical care service.
Fort Smith Director Christina Catsavis proposed the idea following news that Little Rock-based Baptist Health would reduce services and employee numbers at its Fort Smith hospital.
Baptist Health has announced 260 hospital staff, nursing and physician cuts since late March. Baptist Health announced in late March plans to close the labor and delivery operation and end obstetric services at its Fort Smith hospital. The closure was estimated to result in the loss of around 40 jobs, the hospital said. The hospital system announced in late April it planned to close several clinics and services, resulting in the loss of 150 jobs, including 10 physicians. In June, 70 job cuts were announced within several hospital areas, including clinic admin, pharmacy, radiology, case coordination, facilities maintenance, and sterile processing.
Baptist Health said with its April announcement that it has lost $127 million since acquiring the Fort Smith hospital in 2018. Baptist officials have asserted that the hospital will not fully close, saying they plan to spend $20 million at the Fort Smith location “over the next few years,” and the investment is part of a “transition of its Fort Smith campus.”
In a memo to the board, Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman said Catsavis’ goal is to give residents in a community time to find alternative sources of care.
“The pending legislative proposal seeks to require healthcare systems to provide advance notification to city and county officials when there are plans to close or significantly reduce services in a community,” Dingman noted. “This measure would help ensure that local leaders have adequate time to prepare, respond, and collaborate on solutions that protect access to care for their residents.”
Catsavis, who is running for mayor in the 2026 election, said she received the idea for the legislation from a retired doctor. She said requiring hospitals to provide notice would be “beneficial to everyone in the state.”
“If they’re closing critical service lines and critical care, that people should have the ability to prepare, they should be made aware so that they have the ability to prepare,” Catsavis said during Tuesday’s meeting.
She said her initial idea of 180-day notice could be lowered to a date more palatable to other legislators, and language also could be included that would carve out an exception for disruption if a single-doctor service is lost or on hold if a doctor leaves the hospital.
Richardson said Catsavis’ idea is “valid,” and he will take the legislative lead on the idea. He said he will get input from other legislators and report back to the board with language that could best address the issue.
“I’m happy to take it and work on it and get it back to you guys and get your feedback,” Richardson told the board. “I can’t promise you anything, but I’m happy to get it started.”
Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood, said in early April the idea of a notice “merits consideration,” but, he said, it will require a lot of dialogue.
“I can certainly see the perspective of the community wanting to have some lead time around the closure of services with the hospital,” Johnson said. “The devil is in the details with that policy. What’s the right timeline? Is 120 days right? Is it 90? Is it 30? Is it 60?”
Johnson said there is time before the regular General Assembly in 2027 to bring together all appropriate groups to address the matter.