Pickens County

Watch the YouTube projects about Pickens County using the buttons below. Or, scroll through the graphics and photos to see the locations affected. For more information about Pickens County, see the bottom of the page.

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GRAPHICS & PHOTOS

The 2020 closure of Pickens County Medical Center closed affected nearly 20,000 county residents and hundreds of hospital staff.

Pickens County E.M.S. director Vicky McCrory said equipment is not the problem. The county ambulance service has trouble finding the people to use it because of underfunding.

Pickens County residents in need of a hospital have to travel over 30 miles to reach either Columbus, Mississippi, or Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When a patient's need is emergent, Reform resident Cecelia Miller said they could die before they ever get to the hospital.

A radio with an orange interface sitting on a desk

Pickens County ambulances in the station's garage

A Pickens County ambulance under the sharp LED lighting of the garage

A Pickens County ambulance turning onto the road

A Pickens County E.M.S. ambulance across the parking lot from the station

A Pickens County ambulance in the garage with the lights on

A Pickens County ambulance sitting underneath a grove of trees in the back of the station's parking lot

The back of an ambulance sitting in the E.M.S. station's parking lot

Two Pickens County ambulances sitting underneath a grove of trees in the back of the station's parking lot

The front driver's side window of a Pickens County ambulance, peering inside

A white sign saying Pickens County Ambulance Service, bolted to a beige metal corrugated building.

The Pickens County E.M.S. station, a beige corrugated metal building, with open garage doors

Two Pickens County ambulances in the station's garage

A Pickens County ambulance sitting inside the station's garage, in front of an open door to the parking lot

Two Pickens County ambulances sitting inside the station's garage, in front of an open door to the parking lot

Two Pickens County ambulances sitting inside the station's garage

A Pickens County ambulance driving down the street in Carrollton, Alabama

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Critical condition in Pickens County

The Pickens County ambulance service loses over $20,000 per month after the 2020 closure of the local hospital, Pickens County Medical Center. When Pickens County residents need an ambulance, they could find themselves waiting up to an hour for a 45-minute trip to the hospital.

With over an hour between calling 911 and getting into a hospital, residents say some type of medical care is critical in the county. Nearly 20% of its population is over the age of 65.

For more information about Pickens County, see the videos at the top of the page or the graphics and photos above. Or, see the full written story using the button below. You can find more information below about Greene County and the statewide issue in Alabama, as well.

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Alabama