Giving Compass' Take:

• Many rural hospitals are closing across the United States, and others are at risk of closing because they are located in states that did not expand Medicaid. 

• What are alternative funding sources for hospitals to stay open or at the very least obtain more resources? What are options for patients that need treatment but do not have Medicaid?

• Read more about the fragility of America's hospitals. 

Nearly 100 rural hospitals across the country have closed in the past decade and another 600 are at risk of shutting down in the near future, leaving many without easy access to essential medical services. In Mississippi, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the US, nearly 80% of hospitals are struggling just to remain in operation, HuffPost reports.

The majority of the hospitals at risk of closing down are concentrated in the 14 states that chose not to expand Medicaid — a program that provides health care coverage to low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly people, and those with disabilities — following the passing of the Affordable Care Act, a study by Health Affairs found.

In the states where Medicaid was not expanded, rural hospitals have been deprived of the resources they need to stay afloat because they receive fewer patients due to the financial strain posed by a hospital visit, or they go uncompensated for treating patients who cannot afford the care.

Rural communities located many miles from urban centers are suffering the consequences as people are forced to travel for hours to give birth, get treatment, or seek preventative care that could keep them healthy.

But these challenges are not confined to rural communities in the US. Around the world, rural and remote communities face barriers in accessing quality health care, such as distance, cost, and lack of medical resources.

Read the full article about rural hospitals by Sophie Maes at Global Citizen