The rollout of federal rural healthcare funds is underway and St. John’s Health may be the only Teton County provider raking in dollars. But since the Jackson hospital is not a critical access hospital, it might have to reimburse the $1.25 million it received earlier this month.
“It’s not clear if we’ll have to give it back or not because there’s all these federal rules about who really qualifies for it,” said hospital board chair Dr. Pam Cutler.
That’s why St. John’s is asking Teton County voters to raise how much it collects in property taxes on ballots this midterm election, with what’s called the mill levy. On the same ballot, statewide voters will get to choose whether to pass a tax relief measure, which would significantly slash the funds the hospital tax pulls from.
In May, Wyoming learned it would receive $205 million over the next five years in federal funds. The $50 billion nationwide Rural Health Transformation Fund was a last-minute addition to help get Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill across the line in 2025. Critics called it a lackluster attempt to soften the blow for what would be lost.
The state doled out funds to grantees earlier this month, with St. John’s $1.25 million covering services that typically result in operational losses for the hospital. That largely includes OB-GYN services and emergency visits, according to St. John’s Chief Financial Officer Mitch Watson.
“You see a lot of maternity deserts out there,” Watson said. “These funds that were awarded could help offset some of those losses.”
Compared to what the federal government considers a critical access hospital, Jackson’s hospital has more beds per capita to accommodate the flux in tourists, said Watson.
“We’re a part of only 30 hospitals nationwide that have this in-between status,” Watson said.
Even if St. John’s keeps the federal dollars, Watson said that surging rates of uncompensated care, healthcare costs and federal cuts mean the funds are “a drop in a bucket.”
After operating with a $12 million deficit in 2025, Watson said the hospital has felt the strain.
In the past year, St. John’s stopped providing services at a clinic in Teton Village and looked to out-of-state contractors to absorb some employees’ payroll.
Unlike most counties around the state, Teton County has not leveraged its maximum allotment from property taxes for services like the hospital.
Teton County Health Department also applied for less than $200,000 that would go toward a feasibility study for bringing in a community health center. The department was told it was not eligible under this year’s criteria, but might be next year, according to Director Dr. Travis Riddell.
