Toward Optimal and Equitable Rural Health

摘要

When this special section on rural health is published, the United States as a nation, the individual states, local communities, and US citizens will still be addressing and be affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, which will have resulted in more than two million cases of COVID-19—the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)—and more than 115 000 deaths in the United States. The pandemic has made obvious the importance and value of a competent, adequately resourced public health system and competent, adequately resourced hospital care, particularly critical care. The pandemic has also exposed the weaknesses and fragmented nature of the public health system and infrastructure in the United States and the medical care delivery system and infrastructure, which should, but do not, function as virtually one unified health system.