Holly Hacker
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care
The Greene County (AL) Health System, with only three doctors, has no intensive care unit or surgical services.
Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach
Patients across the rural South, Appalachia, and remote West are most often unable to make a video call to their doctor or log into their patient portals. Both are essential ways to participate in the U.S. medical system. In 2025, more than $42 billion allocated in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to begin flowing to states as part of a national “Internet for All” initiative launched by the Biden administration.