NEW: In a five-part series, “Sick in a Hospital Town,” ProPublica’s Ginger Thompson pursues the question:
Why are people in Albany, Georgia, so sick when its most powerful institution is a hospital?
Start with Part 1 here: https://projects.propublica.org/albany-georgia-hospital/part-one/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#Georgia #Health #Healthcare #Journalism #Hospital #Poverty #COVID
This is a great investigation that demonstrates how powerful community hospitals can be. They are often a major employer and have influence on local finances and politics. However, community members are reluctant to openly criticize because they don't want the hospital to close. Especially in a rural area, it is financially difficult to run and the hospital is incentivized to keep their beds full in a predominately fee-for-service reimbursed system.
I'll guess that it's because corporate healthcare doesn't give a single shit about health care. It's a business, not a medical facility.
