Rural Challenges and The Covid-19 Pandemic

While the coronavirus has been impacting urban areas most severely, the virus is starting to spread to rural communities.

Has been impacting urban areas most severely..

The virus is starting to spread to rural communities.

Now - we're learning more about the challenges remote areas are facing..

And what needs to be done to help.

Kimt new three's jessica bringe joins us live from rochester with what puts rural areas at an increased risk.

Jessica.

Live lowerthird2line talent coronavirus:jessica bringe jbringe@kimt.com coverage you can count on katie - living in the med-city we're used to having access to healthcare close by..

Like at mayo clinic..

But across the nation nearly 80- percent of rural communities are medically underserved rural outlook-live vo-1 lowerthird2line coronavirus:rural challenges and the covid-19 pandemic rochester, mn university of minnesota researcher..

Doctor carrie henning-smith says on average rural residents have lower life expectancy, higher rates of disability and higher rates of underlying health conditions compared to urban residents..

Putting them at higher risk for covid-19.

Henning-smith says to help in the short-term funding needs to be stablized for rural hospitals and healthcare providers rural outlook-live sot-1 to make sure we have testing treatment and ppe available and with scarce resources we should base allocation on which communities are disproportionat ely under resourced and most effected especially at the intersection of race and rurality rural outlook-live sot-3 in the long-term henning-smith says medicade and access to insurance needs to be expanded to all rural residents who may need it.

Live in rochester- jessica bringe kimt news 3 thank you jessica.

Henning-smith says expanding broadband access to rural areas so smaller communities have tele- medicine is another long- term solution.

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