When a car crashed outside of tiny Tonopah, Nevada, volunteer EMS workers raced to the scene in minutes. But ever since Tonopah’s hospital closed, the town is now hours away from the nearest emergency room. Across the United States, rural hospitals are shutting their doors at a staggering rate—and many more are on the brink of closing. As rural America shrinks and ages, healthcare for millions of Americans is falling out of reach. In this video, NBC Left Field spends time with an EMS worker as she fights to help neighbors in need.
Published by NBC Left Field, April 10. 2019