People who live in poor rural or urban communities are more likely to have health problems and have limited access to health care, which is a harsh global reality. These are typically poor neighborhoods where people are isolated. They are less likely to have jobs, vehicles, or access to healthy food, and they are more likely to face violence both inside and outside their homes.
- Hospitals and practices in these poor communities and areas tend to operate with limited margins.
- Before the pandemic, 25% of rural hospitals were already at high risk of closing, and 80% of those were deemed extremely important to their communities.
- There is limited access to specialists in low-income urban and suburban communities, and safety-net hospitals frequently struggle to stay financially solvent.
