How the pandemic killed a record number of rural hospitals
CNN
Even before the pandemic, rural hospitals faced significant financial uncertainty. Covid-19 has been what one health care leader called, "the nail in the coffin."
Many had spent their entire careers at the 25-bed critical care hospital, built more than seven decades ago by their grandparents and parents, who pooled their resources. It had recently been rebranded as Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center, but many still called it by its original name, Patterson, for its beloved first doctor. Yet in October, in the middle of a global pandemic, a maintenance crew hammered off the hospital's signs and hoisted a white plastic banner with glaring red letters.More Related News