PCOM: COVID-19 Hits Hard in Rural America

MOULTRIE, Ga., June 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While initial hot spots of COVID-19 were centered in dense urban areas, infections have rapidly expanded into suburban and rural settings – in areas with a population between 2,500 and 50,000 according to The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

Stacie Fairley, PhD, microbiology and immunology professor at PCOM South Georgia, discussed the impact that COVID-19 has had on rural areas, explaining that contributing factors include under-resourced health systems, limited access to healthcare due to geographical location, inability to social distance, and rural economies largely built on essential workers, farmers and small businesses. 

She explained that some rural community homes are composed of multigenerational families, which makes it difficult to practice social distancing. Residents in rural communities often have a higher prevalence of comorbidities such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease, thereby making them more vulnerable to COVID-19.  Furthermore, many residents are essential workers with no health insurance, limited access to healthcare and face food insecurities. 

As of May 4, 2020, 86 percent of all rural counties in the United States had at least one COVID-19 case and about one-third have at least one COVID-19-related death as reported by USA Today. In May 2020, KFF reported that the county with the most cases per capita - Lincoln County, AR - is a metro county, while the county with the most deaths per capita - Randolph County, GA - is a non-metro county with 278 deaths per 100,000 people.

"According to The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, over 130 hospitals across the country have closed during the past decade, and this pandemic could result in more rural hospital closures during a time when our country critically needs them. This pandemic has truly highlighted the historical issues that have been in rural America and other communities for a long period of time prior to COVID-19," Dr. Fairley said.

But there is hope on the horizon, according to Dr. Fairley and research by BKD and NPR. "The first Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES) did not specifically allocate funds to rural areas, but this next one does."

Dr. Fairley explained that allocations will be distributed to agricultural producers and rural hospitals. She said the CARES Act will also provide funds to rural residents for broadband internet access for telemedicine.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) established PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie, Georgia, in 2019. The campus offers a four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. For more information, visit www.pcom.edu. 

SOURCE Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Related Links

http://www.pcom.edu