Thread by @TexasTribune

THREAD: Texas’ rural hospitals faced a bleak financial forecast even before #COVID19 hit.

Now some are facing critical supply shortages, maxed-out lines of credit and layoffs. bit.ly/2QHla7i

2/ Demographic shifts, high shares of uninsured patients and cuts to facilities’ Medicare payments have for years led hospital administrators to abandon small-town markets where they could not turn a profit. bit.ly/2QHla7i

3/ In Texas, 26 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, according to a rural hospital trade association, and roughly 160 remain. bit.ly/2QHla7i

4/ Now that the new #coronavirus is spreading, necessary public health precautions — like the cancellation of elective surgeries — are being undertaken. bit.ly/2QHla7i

5/ But those elective surgeries are one of rural hospitals’ most lucrative income streams, and cancellations threaten to hasten the rate of closures. bit.ly/2QHla7i

6/ Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater is licensed for 86 beds but typically operates only about 35.

There are six intensive care unit beds available in case of a surge in patients with #COVID19. bit.ly/2QHla7i

7/ They’re having to get creative to stretch a limited number of staff members, including cross-training nurses from other wards in preparation for ICU shifts. bit.ly/2QHla7i

8/ The hospital’s administrator told us that many patients also have canceled routine doctor’s appointments, which is another lost source of revenue.

Prices for face masks, gowns, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes have also skyrocketed. bit.ly/2QHla7i

9/9 @ahahospitals asked the federal government last week for $100 billion to help cover the coronavirus response, with industry leaders writing that rural hospitals are not able to keep up with absorbing significant losses. bit.ly/2QHla7i