Texas leads the nation with 27 of those 341 elderly-heavy counties, followed by Nebraska, Michigan, Montana, Florida and North Carolina.
from the virus than others. A USA TODAY analysis found that in 341 counties — or 11% of all U.S. counties — at least 25% of residents are 65 or older. Nationwide, only 16% of the population is over 65, according to the census.
Other big issues that are particularly crippling during today’s virus pandemic with its social distancing mandates in most states include spotty broadband access, which is critical for telemedicine visits, and a reliance on a mostly volunteer force of emergency medical technicians and drivers. Tucked away in western Arizona, La Paz County covers 4,500 square miles and has only 21,000 residents, making it the second least populous county in the desert state. In winter and spring, when snowbirds flock to the area, upward of 50% of those residents are seniors, many of whom are between 30 and 60 miles from a doctor, says Kevin Brown, CEO of La Paz Regional Hospital in the county seat of Parker.
Those sorts of distances are also familiar to those seeking medical assistance in Montana, which, at seven people per square miles, trails only Wyoming and Alaska for population density. Montana has 19 counties with between 25% and 31% seniors. “We’re getting the message out there to seniors to be careful,” she says, noting that the state so far has fewer than 50 cases and no deaths. “But we anticipate some will have to transfer to us for care.”Telemedicine has shot up in popularity in recent weeks as doctors try and advise patients without risking exposure to the virus.
“And if someone needs a ventilator, oh, yeah, that makes us nervous,” says Richard. “But rural healthcare workers are creative, they’ve been making do with less, have had to deal with higher mortality rates in their patients, with difficulty recruiting doctors. So we’re all used to having to be resilient.”
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