Chapter Six: Flatlined in 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.

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