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KEOKUK, IOWA -- In a time of economic instability, Keokuk Area Hospital needs your help.

Currently only 78 percent of the hospitals operating costs are being covered.

The hospital hopes to get the status of a critical needs hospital.

If this happened, they would have their costs covered 102 percent.

The hospital asks that community members write letters to their government representatives to help getting this status.

llan Zastrow, CEO, tells KHQA, "We want people to be aware of what we are doing and yes we are very very concerned about the future and how that looks. It is a time I think, especially for communities like Keokuk that are depressed and in economic type of areas to really get on board and pull together and make sure that we do have this asset here and into the future."

The conditions of receiving critical needs status states that these types of hospitals must be 25 miles apart.

Keokuk Area Hospital hopes to receive this status despite the fact that they are only about 16 miles from the next critical access hospital.