Tag: rural america

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Rural Hospitals Redux

Mark Cathcart

The Takeaway yesterday had a good segment on rural hospitals, basically continuing to “cry wolf” about their affordability. One of the participants in the discussion is, Dr John Waits, who with his colleagues and staff at Centreville Clinic Staff, are doing their best to help their community afford their healthcare. Dr Waits struggles valiantly in the discussion to avoid using the terms profit and subsidy. This is a mistake in my opinion, while you can talk about healthcare efficiencies, people need to hear that large hospital groups are for profit, yes even the not-for-profit ones. People need to understand that … Continue reading Rural Hospitals Redux

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Look & See – Rural America

Mark Cathcart

I’ve written a number of harsh posts about those living in rural America, mostly based off the perception that is pushed by the Republican party, that is, rural Americans don’t understand, and resent urban Americans. That rural Americans are the god-fearing, backbone of America and urban and city dwellers are welfare dependents, and worse still, socialists. Certainly, the Republican party continue to push this agenda today, dividing sub-urban and rural communities from the cities. As shown here, rural Americans claiming benefits has sky rocketed between ’96 and 2015; increasingly, the programs getting cut, adversely hit rural America harder, as rural … Continue reading Look & See – Rural America

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In The Heart Of Colorado’s Opioid Crisis, This Rural Doctor Is An Army Of One

Mark Cathcart

Overdose deaths in Colorado in general have grown in the last decade, according to the Colorado Health Institute. In 2014, San Luis Valley-area healthcare providers began limiting how opioid drugs are prescribed. But, as High Country News reported, the resulting decline in how often painkillers were prescribed was followed by a surge in heroin use. Here is a 3rd post in 2-days on the state of Rural America, I listened to this on Colorado Public Radio (CPR) on station KCFR to which I’m an evergreen subscriber. It is worth stating the obvious, that since rural counties as much more sparsely … Continue reading In The Heart Of Colorado’s Opioid Crisis, This Rural Doctor Is An Army Of One

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Disabled, or just desperate? Rural Americans turn to disability as jobs dry up

Mark Cathcart

Between 1996 and 2015, the number of working-age adults receiving federal disability payments increased dramatically across the country — but nowhere more so than in rural America. The Washington Post has a good read on both the current jobs and rural blight of opioids. Continue reading Disabled, or just desperate? Rural Americans turn to disability as jobs dry up

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Can America afford it’s rural communities

Mark Cathcart

We hear a lot about the “takers” in America, a classification for, usually inner-city people who survive on benefits, unemployment, housing, medical, food stamps and more. Mostly the venom about takers also contains a racial element, it’s directed at black and minority groups who many assume benefit from Government programs without paying in. It’s not often directed at the President himself, but as the New York times pointed out last year, Trump himself could be the ultimate taker. What we don’t hear much about is the affordability of rural towns, and even many of the suburbs. One of America’s greatest … Continue reading Can America afford it’s rural communities