Rural hospitals in Mississippi were already on a cliff. Coronavirus could push them over.

March 27, 2020, The Clarion Ledger, Giacomo Bologna – There is a small hospital in north Mississippi that bought 100 ponchos to prepare for the coronavirus. A hospital in central Mississippi got masks and isolation gowns through a poultry plant supplier. Groups of women have been sewing cloth masks for two hospitals in the Delta. Doctors and nurses have postponed non-essential procedures. Hospitals are rapidly adopting telemedicine. Officials are warning community members to stay away unless it’s an emergency. Staff members are converting rooms into makeshift ICU units. Meanwhile, revenue is plummeting — and this is just the beginning.

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