DARLINGTON — Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County in Darlington today announced it has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX.

“A Critical Access Hospital (CAH) to me means a lifeline for rural communities—providing essential healthcare services in areas where larger hospitals may be too far away”, expressed Sally Blackbourn, RN, Director of Nursing.

“The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award program elevates the very best performers and helps create a roadmap for those seeking to improve financial and operational performance while continuing to care for the communities they serve,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “This is our 15th year recognizing the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate this milestone with this year’s winners.”

Marie Wamsley, CEO, states, “The timing of this award couldn’t be better as we transition to our new location in April. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding care our staff delivers to our patients while celebrating our new state-of-the-art facility. This prestigious award underscores the exceptional care our dedicated team provides to our patients every day. We are immensely proud of this achievement, which reflects the trust and confidence our community places in us.”

The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.