**Rural Hospitals Battling To Stay Alive During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A recent article published in The Guardian describes some of the hardships rural hospitals in the United States are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has severely strained the capacities of some of the wealthiest healthcare systems in this country, small rural hospitals such as the one detailed in this article, have struggled just to keep their doors open for service. New shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidelines (e.g., prohibiting elective surgeries) have left hospitals with limited income and scrambling to find ways to pay their employees. Several rural hospitals have closed as a result. The article also describes some of the measures Federal and local governments are taking to help alleviate some of these hardships.¹

1. Beckett L. Coronavirus Threatens Survival of U.S. Rural Hospitals on Frontlines of Crisis. The Guardian 2020 Apr 6. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/06/us-rural-hospitals-coronavirus-crisis-face-shutdowns. Accessed April 24, 2020.