Possible rural hospitals closures could lead to more people traveling Tulsa for care | News [Video]

Okla. — A recent report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health said 22 rural hospitals in the state of Oklahoma are at risk of closing.

The Hospitality House of Tulsa said each time a hospital closes its doors, it leads to a higher number of people needing to travel to Tulsa for care.

FOX23 learned how this impacts not just the rural communities, but Tulsa as well.

FOX23 spoke with Janet Kimberlin, a cancer patient who lives about 60 miles away in Vinita. 

“Being from little old Vinita and not having a lot of money to travel and to eat out, it’s expensive,” she said.

She needed to come to Tulsa for treatment after she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer.

“I thought well we’re just going to have to drive back and forth every day and I know chemo can make you pretty sick,” she said.

Thankfully …