Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Pioneer Community Hospital of Newton will close Dec. 1, becoming the fourth Mississippi hospital to close since 2013.

Magee-based Pioneer Health announced the closing in a letter dated Wednesday. The company says the federal government revoked the hospital's critical access designation. Such a status means that a hospital is paid 101 percent of the cost of treating patients to help cover what are presumed to be higher costs in rural areas. Without it, hospital CEO Mark Norman says it's "no longer financially feasible" for Pioneer to run the hospital.

Newton Mayor David Carr says Pioneer has about 130 employees. The Mississippi Department of Employment Services says Pioneer hasn't filed a layoff notice with the agency.

A Belzoni hospital closed in 2013, while hospitals in Kilmichael and Natchez closed this year.