Athens News Matters: Rural Hospitals Face Obstacles After COVID-19 Caseloads Slow Down

Georgia has had eight rural hospitals shutter their doors since 2008. But the state only lost one rural hospital to the turmoil of the pandemic. Many attribute the health care survival to an influx of COVID-19 relief dollars that kept hospitals afloat. As caseloads subside and federal dollars dry up, the rural health care system has found itself faced with the same obstacles it battled in the past.