As rural hospitals close around the country, cancer patients face especially difficult consequences as they are forced to drive long distances for regular treatment, according to a joint, year-long investigation underway by NPR and Kaiser Health News.
Four things to know about the investigation into rural hospital closings:
1. The investigation examines the impact of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott's closure on the community in Fort Scott, Kan., to gain a broader insight into the national trend of closing rural hospitals.
2. Over 100 rural U.S. hospitals have closed since 2010. The closings cost residents healthcare services and harm local economies, since hospitals provide high-paying jobs and attract workers in other industries.
3. Cancer patients affected by the closings face unique challenges. They must travel to clinics multiple times to receive treatment, which involves specialists and oncology drugs that are difficult to provide in rural areas. Patients often struggle to pay mounting gas money to travel to clinics, and the journey itself can be taxing.
4. Rural patients spend 66 percent more time traveling each way to receive treatment than urban patients, according to a national survey from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Rural patients are also more likely to die of cancer than urban patients, according to the CDC, an issue experts attribute partly to a lack of nearby services.