Pandemic puts extra financial strain on rural North Carolina hospitals

Preparing for coronavirus patients is increasing the financial strain on rural hospitals, some already struggling to stay open.

Many smaller rural hospitals in North Carolina mirror their larger, metro-area counterparts in preparing for coronavirus patients: making plans to add ICU beds, examining staffing requirements, and preserving gloves, masks and gowns.

But the official government request to restrict elective surgeries during the pandemic could add to rural hospitals’ financial pain, said Dr. Roxie Wells, president of Hoke Healthcare.

“Immediate funding is needed given the request from [the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services] to suspend elective surgeries,” she said in an email Tuesday. “In many instances, a rural hospital’s bottom line is inextricably tied to the ability to perform elective surgeries.”

Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241462756.html
(Raleigh News & Observer)