Thread by @s_m_i, Yesterday I saw a thread doing the rounds that asserted that ~the [...]

Yesterday I saw a thread doing the rounds that asserted that ~the media~ were ignoring and going to ignore the effects of the pandemic on rural communities. So I’m going to regularly share reporting I see on this here.

Today, from @NewsHour: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-how-covid-19-could-wipe-out-many-rural-hospitals">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/...

'The worst is yet to come.' How COVID-19 could wipe out many rural hospitals

With health officials across the country telling the public to stay home unless they need immediate medical care, rural hospitals have seen demand for services -- and revenue -- plummet.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-how-covid-19-could-wipe-out-many-rural-hospitals

Reporting from Maquoketa in lowa: @_FernandoGF_ for @KCRG https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/569712122.html">https://www.kcrg.com/content/n...

Rural communities struggle amid pandemic; local businesses reinvent themselves to survive

Nicolas Hockenberry, economic development director at the Jackson County Economic Alliance, said, at first, people in Jackson County thought the impact of the coronavirus could be minimal. But that...

https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/569712122.html

“for those who remain [in Marion], the digital divide only makes the area more remote, a situation made far more apparent by the pandemic” - @SarahWhitesk reports for @aldotcom https://www.al.com/news/2020/04/with-limited-internet-rural-alabama-grows-more-remote-in-pandemic.html">https://www.al.com/news/2020...

Alabama's digital divide more pronounced in pandemic

In four Alabama counties, the majority of households lack internet.

https://www.al.com/news/2020/04/with-limited-internet-rural-alabama-grows-more-remote-in-pandemic.html

“[Rural hospitals] have lost a huge chunk of their income, 75% to 80% in some cases, under directives to postpone elective surgeries, procedures and specialty clinics to prepare for possible surges in coronavirus patients” @LJSLegislature for @mdjonline https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health/for-nebraska-rural-hospitals-virus-isnt-the-only-threat/article_e38eeb16-c34a-5fec-9550-d277349727f2.html">https://journalstar.com/lifestyle...

For Nebraska rural hospitals, virus isn't the only threat

Many rural hospitals have seen a low number of cases, but they still have faced a significant threat from the virus.

https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health/for-nebraska-rural-hospitals-virus-isnt-the-only-threat/article_e38eeb16-c34a-5fec-9550-d277349727f2.html

https://twitter.com/dkiesow/status/1251857615090528256?s=21">https://twitter.com/dkiesow/s... https://twitter.com/dkiesow/status/1251857615090528256">https://twitter.com/dkiesow/s...

https://twitter.com/dkiesow/status/1251857615090528256?s=21

“It’s impossible to know for sure how the new coronavirus got to rural Donley County, but locals bet it took U.S. Route 287, like everything else.” @emmaplatoff reports for the @TexasTribune https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/20/donley-county-really-hardest-hit-texas-coronavirus/">https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/2...

Is this rural community really Texas’ sickest county?

State data indicates that Donley County in the Panhandle has the highest coronavirus infection rate in Texas. But county Judge John Howard — also the only local doctor — believes that's because he'...

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/20/donley-county-really-hardest-hit-texas-coronavirus/

“These days Dixie Shaw is having to meet challenge after challenge to figure out how to keep the only two food banks north of Hampden going amid an unprecedented spike in demand for food” - by @ErinRhoda for @bangordailynews https://bangordailynews.com/2020/04/21/mainefocus/rural-maine-prays-death-will-wait-as-pandemic-upends-tradition-and-civic-life/">https://bangordailynews.com/2020/04/2...

Rural Maine prays death will wait as pandemic upends tradition and civic life

https://bangordailynews.com/2020/04/21/mainefocus/rural-maine-prays-death-will-wait-as-pandemic-upends-tradition-and-civic-life/

“Rural areas’ low-density helps slow the spread of COVID-19, but that distance between homes, hospitals and ambulance stations poses another problem for rural EMS agencies” - @jahdkhalil for @MercuryVirginia https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/04/22/covid-19-pandemic-is-another-strain-for-rural-ems-services/">https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/04/2...

COVID-19 pandemic is another strain for rural EMS services - Virginia Mercury

Long country roads and a small, aging volunteer staff have been the norm for rural Virginia’s emergency medical services for years. But the current COVID-19 outbreak has the potential to stress...

https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/04/22/covid-19-pandemic-is-another-strain-for-rural-ems-services/

“Smaller communities have also struggled to get tests because they were not prioritized by the government or are too cash-strapped to buy them from the private sector, which runs the majority of tests in Texas” - @ShannonNajma for the @TexasTribune https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/25/texas-coronavirus-tests-rural-suburban/">https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/2...

Rural Texas has struggled to get testing compared with big cities, ...

Smaller communities have also struggled to get tests because they were not prioritized by the government or are too cash-strapped to buy them from the private sector, which runs the majority of tes...

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/25/texas-coronavirus-tests-rural-suburban/

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