rural health

Americans are becoming less and less likely to believe our fellow citizens are trying to do the right thing, and that has added to the crisis facing rural health care. Plus: Are Midwest homes prepared for more scorching summer days?

Hundreds of thousands of people died in the pandemic because they didn’t trust the government or their neighbors to do the right thing. And it’s not getting better. Today distrust is making people sicker, especially where health care is fragile across giant swaths of rural America.

The state will repay educational costs for health care workers who are willing to work in underserved areas. Another program will increase the number of medical residencies in Missouri.

A July report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a national policy group, found that 19 of Missouri’s 57 rural hospitals are at risk of shuttering because of “serious financial problems.”

It’s tick season — and they're a problem all throughout Missouri, not just in rural areas. And there's a real risk of tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

The pandemic allowed people to receive prescriptions for mental health and opioid addiction through telemedicine. Now Kansas clinicians want those flexibilities to be permanent.

Mortality rates for Kansas City mothers and infants, especially in Black and brown communities, are well above the national average. So local groups are stepping outside the traditional health care system to bridge the gap. Plus: The leaders of a small southeast Kansas hospital say the only way to keep it from closing is to cut back on services.

A private equity firm shuttered rural hospitals in Missouri a year ago. It's now facing state and federal investigations, as well as lawsuits.

Engineers and psychologists at Missouri University of Science and Technology are using computer modeling and real-world interviews to see if a mobile cancer radiation truck could bring care to far-flung patients in rural parts of the state.

Rural America is not known for its public transportation. But as its residents get older faster than their urban counterparts, the need is increasing. Some communities are finding ways to provide rides.

Many transgender people seeking gender-affirming and other medical care in rural areas have to educate their doctors about their needs — if they can find supportive health providers at all.

Customers are paying more at the grocery store for a number of items, but one item is seeing a bigger spike than anything else: Eggs. Plus: Kansans with long COVID struggle to find remedies in one of the only states without dedicated treatment centers.