Obama Regulations Close Cancer clinic

From the Harve Daily News:
By the end of the month, the Hi-Line’s branch of the Sletten Cancer Institute, next to Northern Montana Hospital, will cease offering radiation therapy to cancer patients.
Roy Hall, the head oncologist at the Hi-Line Sletten Cancer Center, confirmed this morning that he would be leaving by Feb. 22 and patients receiving radiation treatments will have to drive to 115 miles to Great Falls from now on.
The clinic opened less than four years ago after a $6.5 million construction project, $1.2 million of which was raised by community contributions and fundraising efforts.
Karen Ogden, spokesperson for Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, which runs the Sletten Cancer Institute, could not be reached this morning for comment, but her office sent a statement explaining the situation.
According to the Benefis’ statement, “because of a changing regulatory environment and lower-than-anticipated patient use, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue radiation oncology at the center, effective Feb. 22. The facility will continue to operate as a multidisciplinary outreach clinic, offering visits from specialists and enhanced telemedicine offerings. ”
“We regret the necessity to discontinue radiation oncology at the center and realize this will be a hardship for our patients on the Hi-Line. We’re doing everything we can to ease the transition for them, ” said Joe LoDuca, chief administrative officer of the Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute, in the release. “We’ve informed all of our patients and will continue their treatments at our main facility in Great Falls. ”
LoDuca goes on to explain that “the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mandated in its 2012 regulations that a radiation oncologist must be present when a patient receives radiation treatment. It would be prohibitively expensive to staff the Havre facility with a full-time radiation oncologist. ” http://www.havredailynews.com/news/story-425784.html
So, those who were receiving services from this institute will have to drive 115 miles to get treatment.
So, once again, the Obama administration is out to kill people in small towns by their regulations.