Prognosis for Rural Hospitals Worsens with Pandemic

Kaiser Health News provided reporting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural hospital closures. Sarah Jane Tribble writes, “As COVID-19 continues to spread, an increasing number of rural communities find themselves without their hospital or on the brink of losing already cash-strapped facilities.” The article also quotes UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health professor Mark Holmes, who says, “We know that a [rural hospital] closure leads to higher mortality pretty quickly…That’s pretty clear.”