rural health care

Rural communities with struggling hospitals often turn to outside investors willing to take over their health care centers. Some are willing to sell the hospitals for next to nothing to companies that promise to keep them running.

Health & Safety

Buy a rural hospital for $100? Investors pick up struggling institutions for pennies

12:03pm August 16, 2022

by Blake Farmer

Some rural hospitals are in such bad shape, they're selling for next to nothing. One company is snapping several distressed or closed hospitals in rural Tennessee, hoping to turn a profit.

Karen hugs Tony in his wheelchair on April 14, 2022. They now live in Burlington, Wash., and their mobile home no longer exists on the island. They are grateful to be together after being separated for long periods of time during the pandemic.

For two years, this Washington island has grappled with the long reach of COVID

2:38pm May 18, 2022

The virus hit Whidbey Island early in 2020, and photojournalist Lynn Johnson was there. A million deaths later, we return to see how the pandemic has subtly but indelibly altered life there forever.

Bethany Gates, a certified professional midwife in Iowa, examines her client, Mandy King. King has three children and this will be her first home birth.

As home births rise in popularity, some midwives operate in a legal gray area

5:01am April 05, 2022

by Natalie Krebs

As maternity wards continue to close across the U.S., demand for midwives has grown, especially in rural areas. But hospitals and health care providers have raised concerns about licensing and safety.

Hospital staff at Gritman Medical Center in the northern Idaho city of Moscow were unable to find Katie Ripley an open ICU bed at a larger hospital as her condition deteriorated.

In rural America, patients are waiting for care — sometimes with deadly consequences

2:33pm February 10, 2022

by Will Stone

When cancer survivor Katie Ripley got pneumonia, the 25-bed hospital in her small town didn't have the specialized care she needed. But with omicron surging, there was no ICU bed to transfer her to.

Nursing assistant Michelle Bryan dons a protective face shield before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient on the acute care floor.

Health & Safety

Inside an Oregon hospital, here's what it takes to provide care through the chaos

11:04am February 08, 2022

by Amelia Templeton

Salem Health in Oregon is a major hospital, but the omicron onslaught has strained the staff like never before. Still, they show up. For the patients, and for each other. And some see signs of hope.

Community clinics say the easing of restrictions on telehealth during the pandemic has made it possible for health workers to connect with hard-to-reach patients via a phone call — people who are poor, elderly or live in remote areas, and don't have acc

Health & Safety

Voice-only telehealth may go away with pandemic rules expiring

4:45pm November 23, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

State rules were temporarily loosened in 2020 to help patients get care outside a doctor's office. But is telehealth by phone safe and effective? State legislatures and insurers must soon decide.

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A health care worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a resident at the Jordan Valley Community Health Center in Springfield, Mo., in June.

Rural Hospitals Worry They Will Lose Staff Because Of Biden's New Vaccine Mandate

11:46am September 25, 2021

by Tamara Keith

In rural areas, hospitals and clinics are worried they'll be left short if staff quit rather than get COVID-19 vaccines required by the Biden administration's new mandate.

A Teton County emergency medical services volunteer outside the Benefis Teton Medical Center in Choteau, Mont.

Rural Ambulance Services At Risk As Volunteers Age And Expenses Mount

6:48am July 05, 2021

by Aaron Bolton

To keep emergency services afloat in rural areas, communities will have to go beyond volunteer-based programs to get people to distant hospitals, experts say. Meanwhile, some 911 calls go unanswered.

People line up to be tested for the coronavirus at a free testing site Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Seattle.

Rural Health Systems Challenged By COVID-19 Surge

7:01am December 12, 2020

by Anna King

Medical services in small Northwest towns are stretched to the limit with shortages of qualified workers and PPE, CARES Act funds running out and hospitals at or near capacity.

A road sign for a nearby hospital along a rural road outside Sandwich, Ill., in April.

Health & Safety

Getting Health Care Was Already Tough In Rural Areas. The Pandemic Has Made It Worse

10:04am October 07, 2020

by Will Stone

One in four rural households report being unable to get medical care for serious problems, due to the pandemic, according to a new poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard.

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