USA Health appoints Liz Kirby to lead expansion of rural healthcare initiatives  

USA Health affirmed its commitment to improving access and quality of care in rural communities by naming Liz Kirby, MSHA, MBA, its executive director for virtual care and rural initiatives.  

Kirby most recently served as the CEO at Monroe County Hospital, a 46-bed short-term acute care facility in rural southwest Alabama. The new role is funded by a state appropriation of $1.25 million, up from last year’s award of $500,000. The increase helps support the Rural Care Program Office with staff dedicated to assisting rural hospitals in southwest Alabama.

“With the crisis that exists in rural healthcare, USA Health believes our mission extends to supporting the rural facilities and communities in our southwest Alabama region,” Kirby said. “We are creating a Rural Care Program Office with the goals of increasing access for patients and improving quality. Telemedicine is a natural component of this effort, so we'll also be developing those programs.”   

The American Medical Association has expressed concern regarding physician and staffing shortages, rural hospital closures, decreased reimbursements from health insurance plans and more as leading to the crisis in rural healthcare.   

Among its plan to address the crisis, the professional group has identified fostering growth in the physician workforce in rural areas – a need the University of South Alabama and its academic health system have already been working on apart from Kirby’s new role.  

Last year, a $16 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant was awarded to USA Health to help increase the number of primary care physicians in states with the highest projected shortages in the next two years and improved healthcare access in underserved communities.  

“I am so grateful that USA Health has taken the position to be a resource for these hospitals and communities,” Kirby said. “I'm hopeful we can work with the amazing teams and leaders in these areas to make a positive difference.”  

Previously, Kirby served as assistant administrator and assistant to the administrator at Children’s & Women’s Hospital. Before joining USA Health, she also managed multiple clinics, including Greater Mobile Urgent Care in Mobile and a rural health clinic in Grand Bay.   

“We’ve all seen the closures and decrease in services in the rural hospitals in our state over the last few years,” she said. “They are certainly struggling, and patients will suffer if they go away.”   

Just recently, labor and delivery units have closed at hospitals in Monroe County and Grove Hill in Clarke County. Thomasville Regional Medical Center shut its doors last month amid staffing and financial issues until further notice.    

“It was really my personal experiences that drew me to first work in Monroe County and now to this position,” Kirby said. “While I grew up in Birmingham, my family lived in rural Missouri. We have definitely experienced the impact of limited access to care, and this is no different than what people in our rural communities face.”  

Kirby earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in health administration, all from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She completed an administrative residency at Cardiology Associates in Mobile.