//Rural hospitals are facing financial ruin and furloughing staff during the coronavirus crisis

Rural hospitals are facing financial ruin and furloughing staff during the coronavirus crisis

Williamson Memorial Hospital was more than the place where Carole Steele had surgery on her elbow. It was more than the place that treated her husband Samuel when his severe allergies make it hard for him to breathe.One doctor there was her grandniece’s godfather. Another was a trusted friend.Going to the hospital was “like going home to us,” the 73-year-old retired schoolteacher said. “For Samuel