COVID-19 Pandemic

Rural hospitals Struggled Especially hard to meet the demands of the pandemic.

No Patients + High Costs = Financial Crisis in Rural Hospitals. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the entire world hard, but in the US, rural hospitals, many of which were on the brink of financial failure anyway were put to the test. When the CARES Act finally got financial relief to hospitals it was just in time for many rural facilities. The shutdown took away their greatest source of revenue, elective surgeries, and skyrocketing costs as supply chains collapsed sent hospitals like Grays Harbor Community Hospital (GHCH) to the brink of failure. While everything changed and stressors were maxing out the healthcare works on the frontlines never gave up. Working with outdated equipment at the beginning of the crisis was just one more thing that these professionals got past so that they could focus on caring for their community at the time of their greatest need. The selfless actions of these dedicated professionals were inspirational.