Examining health inequities in America’s rural communities

How does the lack of rural health services take its toll on both patients and practitioners? Who will step up to confront this issue?

For this four-part series, the Rural News Network (RNN) brought newsrooms together to report on health inequities in rural communities nationally and in distinct parts of the country — Hawaii, North Carolina and Northern California.

Read stories in the collaboration below.

In Rural Areas, Including Shasta County, the Lack of Specialist Doctors Hurts Patients, Families and the Community

Shasta Scout – October 20, 2022

Specialized health care is scarce in California’s North State area — a region with significantly worse access than the rest of the state.

Why This Hawaiian Island Has To Outsource Psychiatric Care

Honolulu Civil Beat – October 19, 2022

Lanai deals with hardships of obtaining mental health care without a resident psychiatrist on the island.

No internet, no telehealth: Rural North Carolina residents struggle to connect with doctors virtually

Carolina Public Press – October 18, 2022

In North Carolina, about 4 million people don’t have access to reliable broadband service. What does this mean for rural residents’ health care?

Specialists, Broadband and the Fight for Health Equity in Rural America

The Daily Yonder – October 17, 2022

People in rural areas often have to go without specialist care or travel long distances to access it.

This reporting is part of a collaboration with the Institute for Nonprofit News, The Daily Yonder, Carolina Public Press, Honolulu Civil Beat and Shasta Scout. Support from The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation made the project possible.