VALLEY — EAMC-Lanier’s transition to a rural emergency hospital (REH) is well under way and on track to be completed by December 1st. The hospital’s geriatric psych unit closed on Monday when the last patient being treated there was transferred out.
A total of 86 people who had been working at EAMC-Lanier will be transferred to the campus of the East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika. A few who have chosen to remain in Valley will be transferred into positions remaining at EAMC-Lanier.
EAMC-Lanier’s director of nursing, Melanie Mooney, was the guest speaker at Wednesday’s noon hour meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Valley and talked about the transition that’s taking place.
The rural emergency hospital, or REH, is a relatively new type of Medicare provider and was created by Congress in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Its creation was part of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. REHs are meant to reinforce access to outpatient medical services and to reduce health disparities in areas that may not be able to sustain a full-service hospital. The new REH designation aims to maintain access to emergency services, observation care and additional medical and outpatient services in lesser populated areas.