Your health is at somewhat greater risk if you live in a rural area. Not so much because of rural conditions, but more because of rural health care: hospitals and doctors are few and far between.
And the hospitals are getting fewer and farther between: 19 rural hospitals closed across the country last year, a trend that is on the upswing.
The Chartis Center for Rural Health monitors the situation and recently assembleda report on rural hospital vulnerability. Michael Topchik from CCRH visits with details.