Among Coronavirus Patients, Rural Older Americans Have Worst Obstacles

Rural areas in the United States face many hindrances with a coronavirus outbreak, and Americans most at risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying from the virus are those older than 60 and/or with preexisting health conditions, reports Fox Business . A Chartis Group study found about 69 percent of the U.S. rural population is older than 65, compared to 35 percent of the non-rural population. "If you have no place to go or if you have to drive an additional hour or two to get somewhere, people just don't go," noted Doug Farquhar at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "This virus doesn't seem to be avoiding rural areas." A total of 126 rural hospitals have closed since the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2010, while the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program estimated 19 rural hospitals closed last year alone. The National Rural Health Association's Maggie Elehwany said although rural healthcare providers say they are prepared for a reasonable increase in patients, they will require access to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' reserve of medical and drug supplies in case of a national catastrophic pandemic. "We need to make sure there's an equitable distribution and find out proportionally where the pockets of the pandemic are," she explained. "If they're in rural communities, we need to be ready to get some supplies to them right away."