North Carolina
In just North Carolina alone 10 hospitals have closed in the last decade, with 7 of those hospitals closing in the last 5 years.
For the hospitals still in operation, it's not just coronavirus that has the staff overworked and on edge...it’s the entire medical system. Many of North Carolina’s hospitals are rural hospitals, serving those on the lower end of the economic spectrum. For people living in these parts of North Carolina, it’s the only medical and emergency care for hours.
The pandemic has forced a halt to elective procedures and surgeries, disrupting the already thin cash flow. Many are preparing for the worst.
But that’s not all. Low income and rural communities have some of the highest risk pools for coronavirus on top of the litany of other medical needs of these areas. Beyond the hurdles of just getting to a hospital lies a much deeper problem people across the country are struggling with.How will they pay for this?
Poor residents, with low access to care, a crumbling medical infrastructure, a spreading global pandemic, and to top it all off, an administration that’s pretending the pandemic doesn’t exist. Our medical system was Made to Fail.
CREDITS
Made to Fail is produced by The Hub Project, Goat Rodeo, and the Roosevelt Institute.
From the Hub Project, executive producer is Laura Hatalsky. Producers are Sasha Stone, Zach Praiss, Sophie Elliot, and Dan Crawford. Arkadi Gerney is Executive Director.
From the Goat Rodeo Team, Executive Producer is Megan Nadolski, Producers are Char Dreyer and Zachary Frank. Ian Enright is Chief Executive Officer.
From the Roosevelt Institute, our Senior producer is Steph Sterling.
Our host is Elliot Williams.
This episode was written by Ian Enright, me, and the good people at the Hub Project.
Thanks to Dr. Richard Pomerantz, Andy Slavitt, and Dean Baker
To learn more about how conservative policies have set up millions of Americans for failure in the face of a crisis, visit madetofail.org. Subscribe to Made to Fail on Apple podcasts or your favorite podcast app, so you don’t miss the next episode.
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