HAYTI, Mo. – Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) visited Pemiscot Memorial Hospital in Hayti this week, touring the facility and meeting with hospital leadership to discuss the impact of its recent conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status — a designation the congressman worked directly with state and federal health officials to help secure after years of advocating to keep the hospital’s doors open.

Congressman Smith said, “Pemiscot Memorial Hospital is the last hospital left in the Bootheel, and for families in this part of Missouri, that emergency room can mean the difference between life and death. When this hospital was on the verge of closing, my staff and I fought tooth and nail to cut through red tape at CMS, connect hospital leadership with the resources they needed, and push for a fair and timely review of their application for Rural Emergency Hospital status. I’m proud of what we were able to do together, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure rural Missourians never lose access to the care they depend on.”

Pemiscot Memorial Hospital sees roughly 800 patients a month through its seven-bed emergency room — playing a pivotal role in serving families all across the region and delivering care that thousands of families depend on. The hospital faced near closure in both 2023 and 2024 due to financial mismanagement and cash flow shortfalls, at one point struggling to make payroll. Congressman Smith stepped in, working with hospital leadership and state and federal health agencies to help stabilize the hospital’s finances and chart a sustainable path forward.

In November 2025, following sustained engagement from Congressman Smith with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Pemiscot Memorial received Rural Emergency Hospital status — retroactive to May 2025 — along with roughly $2 million in Medicare backpay. The REH designation allows the hospital to receive fixed monthly Medicare payments in place of inpatient reimbursement, plus a 5 percent bonus for emergency and outpatient services. This provides Pemiscot Memorial with a stable funding source to continue serving the Bootheel and gives it the potential to expand services in the future.

The Working Families Tax Cuts, which Congressman Smith authored and spearheaded in Congress, also included a $50 billion investment for rural healthcare through the Rural Health Transformation Program — the largest one-time investment in rural hospitals in American history. As Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Smith has made it a priority to ensure Americans in rural areas like the Bootheel of Missouri have access to quality health care.