Widening rural health disparities and health inequity, the return of reimbursement cuts, an emergent staffing crisis, and vaccine hesitancy combine to threaten the stability created by pandemic-related relief.
As we enter Year 3 of the pandemic, working to understand and address these gaps in health disparities and health inequity reminds us of the long-standing structural challenges faced by rural communities and the safety net that serves them—and the reality that the foundation of the system is not strong.
