Over the past 15 years, nearly 200 hospitals in rural communities have shut down.
CARROLLTON, Ala. — As the coronavirus spread across the United States, workers at the lone hospital in one Alabama county turned off beeping monitors for good and padlocked the doors, making it one of the latest in a string ofNow Joe Cunningham is more worried than ever about getting care for his wife, Polly, a dialysis patient whose health is fragile.
Other communities are trying to keep hundreds of endangered hospitals afloat as resources are stretched thinner than ever and moneymaking services like elective surgeries are curtailed during the outbreak. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
Most rural hospitals make money on emergency room care and elective procedures, which are on hold as health care workers try to ration masks and other protective gear in anticipation of COVID-19 infections, he said.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rural areas fear spread of virus as more hospitals closeThe coronavirus pandemic couldn't come at a worse time for rural communities across the U.S. that have lost hospitals. Nearly 200 small-town hospitals have closed nationwide since 2005, often forcing residents to drive much farther for health care.
Read more »
Rural hospitals and private medical practices struggle to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemicDr. Ed Boyle is trying to keep a brave face for his staff in Bend, Oregon, but revenue has taken a huge hit now that his medical practice can no longer perform elective procedures during the coronavirus shutdown. His wife, Dr. Ida Azul, is in the same boat.
Read more »
Coronavirus strains rural hospitals 'to the absolute limit'"Even before all this happened, we had a rural hospital crisis in America," said one official. "This situation is going to compound that."
Read more »
In rural America, cops are delivering groceries to vulnerable residentsMajor Bobby Reed of the Bourbon County, Kansas, sheriff's department had an idea when he saw that some stores were offering special hours just for elderly customers during the coronavirus crisis: He would start making grocery and prescription deliveries for at-risk residents himself.
Read more »