“Our rural hospital is the first line of care for the people in our community. If someone’s really sick, they need to be stabilized. They can be stabilized here quickly and efficiently. If our hospital closed … people will die.”

That was the blunt reality that Dr. Marsha Raulerson shared at a health care panel that Alabama Arise co-hosted Feb. 27 in Brewton. As we heard from her and many other people that night, Medicaid expansion is a crucial step to save lives and protect health care access in Escambia County and throughout Alabama.