“Where have all the patients gone?” That’s what doctors in our West Virginia University hospitals began asking as the coronavirus pandemic spread. We were prepared for a rise in COVID-19 patients, but we didn’t expect the sharp decline we saw in everyday cases. Our emergency department visits fell by half […]
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Under COVID Cloud, Prisons in Rural America Threaten to Choke Rural Hospitals
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept into Montana, it spread into the Marias Heritage Center assisted living facility, then flowed into the nearby 21-bed hospital. Toole County quickly became the state’s hot spot for COVID-19 deaths, with more than four times the infection rate of all other counties and the most […]
Read MoreNeed a Laugh in Your New Quarantine Life? Check This Series from Some Appalachian Filmmakers
We’re all making tiny time capsules. You may not recognize it, but we’re all doing it, saving up the memories and experiences of our COVID-19 journey in some way. Perhaps your Instagram has become a collection of your isolation crafts, or the evolution of your sourdough, the devolution of your […]
Read MoreThe 25 Rural Counties with Highest Infection Rates
Coronavirus hotspots at meatpacking plants – especially in the Midwest – are a major source of COVID-19 in most of the rural counties with the worst infection rates. Fourteen of the 25 counties with rural America’s highest infection rates link the spread of the virus back to food-processing facilities. Prison […]
Read MoreMass Layoffs At Ohio U. A Warning Sign For Rural Higher Ed
Ohio University kicked a hornet’s nest over the weekend when they announced a mass layoff of 140 workers. While those workers are mostly non-teaching staff, professors and instructors have also received non-renewal notices. Before the coronavirus reached American shores, OU wasn’t on solid financial ground. In March, administrators announced they needed to cut […]
Read MoreHow To Use Online Time With Family To Record Family Stories
Many families have turned to video conferencing apps like Zoom and Skype to stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic. Those online conversations can also serve a larger purpose — to capture family oral histories. Oral histories are, at their simplest, recordings of memories. They have been around since the earliest days of reel-to-reel […]
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