People in big, sparsely populated states like Montana rely on air ambulances to get to medical specialists they need. But the lifesaving flights can be hugely expensive and not covered by insurance.
Tourists love California's Mendocino coast for its redwoods, surf and charm. But the battle to keep the area's only hospital afloat is pitting hospital administrators and doctors against each other.
About 3 million people in Texas don't have a mental health provider in their county. A new loan repayment program may not be enough to lure them to the state's rural areas.
For 35 years, Dr. Bill Mahon has tended newborns and broken bones, given kids checkups and spinal taps. But luring new doctors with big debt and urban dreams to the redwoods is harder than it sounds.
When Zachary Klundt broke into All Families Healthcare he destroyed the only clinic providing abortions in the Flathead Valley of Montana. More than a year later, the clinic remains closed.
As least 55 hospitals across the rural U.S. have closed since 2010. But northern Missouri's Putnam County Memorial finds that adding high-quality specialty services lures patients and revenue.
Some hospitals are using a remote command center to keep an eye on ICU patients. This brings the expertise of a major medical center to rural hospitals — and may help keep the rural centers open.
Young men are twice as likely to die by suicide if they live in rural areas rather than cities, and that disparity is widening. Lack of mental health services is a factor; access to firearms is, too.
