Rural Areas Send Their Sickest Patients to Cities, Straining Hospitals | Kaiser Health News

Rural Areas Send Their Sickest Patients to Cities, Straining Hospitals | Kaiser Health News: Many rural communities across the U.S. have resisted masks and calls for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but now rural counties are experiencing record-high infection and death rates. Critically ill rural patients are often sent to city hospitals for high-level treatment and, as their numbers grow, some urban hospitals are buckling under the added strain.