Cardinal Conversation: Reopening a rural hospital

RADIO IQ | By Fred Echols

Published August 25, 2025 at 3:58 AM EDT

People in Patrick County are hopeful that they'll soon have a hospital again.

Since the county's only hospital closed in 2017 residents have had to drive as much as two hours for emergency room care.

Tennessee-based Braden Health, which bought the hospital at auction last year, is the third company to try and re-open the hospital.

Cardinal News reporter Emily Schabacker is covering this story and she talked with Fred Echols.

Cardinal News is a non-profit, online, independent news organization covering Southwest and Southside Virginia.