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AILSA CHANG, HOST: The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country s social fabric, especially in some small towns. As Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports, the sometimes divisive politics surrounding the coronavirus is roiling rural communities and threatening to alienate some of their most critical residents - health care workers.
FRANK MORRIS, BYLINE: Ten years ago, Dr. Kristi Darnauer and her husband moved to tiny Sterling, Kan., to raise their kids steeped in small-town values.
By
Frank MorrisDecember 29, 2020
Political divisions over the pandemic are creating a wedge and splitting off health care workers from small communities that desperately need them. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country’s social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents health care workers.
A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop.
The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country s social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics is alienating some of their most critical residents health care workers.
A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop.
Ten years ago, Dr. Kristina Darnauer
and her husband, Jeff, moved to tiny Sterling, Kansas to raise their kids steeped in small town values. The values of hard work, the value of community, taking care of your neighbor, that s what small towns shout from the rooftops, this is what we re good at. We are salt-of-the-Earth people who care about each other, Darnauer says. And here I am saying, then wear a mask because that protects your precious neighbor.
Charlie Riedel/AP
toggle caption Charlie Riedel/AP
Political divisions over the pandemic are creating a wedge and splitting off health care workers from small communities that desperately need them. Charlie Riedel/AP
The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country s social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents health care workers.
A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop.