DALLAS — North Texas' ongoing population boom means more hospitals and medical facilities are needed to meet the region's healthcare needs -- particularly as rural hospitals around the state and beyond struggle financially.

While North Texas' population is growing and new facilities are opening to accommodate the growth, some rural hospitals across Texas and beyond are cutting services amid financial struggles.

John Henderson of the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals recently warned that a third of the 157 rural hospitals in Texas have less than 10 days' cash on hand.

"In some of the rural areas, the hospitals are struggling from a financial point of view, a cash-flow point of view and, as a result, they may have to cut back services, which creates a gap, or they may

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