 Rural Communities are in Crisis: Sign our petition to demand more federal aid go to rural hospitals! SIGN The coronavirus pandemic is hitting rural communities especially hard. These communities are already medically underserved, and this national pandemic is pushing their hospitals beyond their breaking point. Texas leads the country in hospital closures. The Pecos County Memorial Hospital announced recently that it would lay off 32 employees — over 10% of its staff — due to a “significant impact financially” from COVID-19. Why are rural hospitals laying people off during a pandemic? Well, fewer elective procedures during this time, on top of Texas failing to expand Medicaid under the ACA, means our rural health care providers operate on really thin margins. Our rural hospitals need more doctors, more nurses, and MORE protective equipment -- not less! They need help from the federal government to stay afloat to serve our rural communities. People will die if Congress doesn’t act. Sign our petition right now if you think the next federal aid package needs to include more aid for rural hospitals! SIGN 18 of the 29 counties in TX-23 have fewer than three doctors. Three counties have no doctor at all. Thousands of sick, pregnant and injured Texans rely on rural hospitals for ALL of their medical care. As Pecos County Memorial Hospital described, the majority of the aid they receive will have to be repaid within a year, and while other organizations like the State Office of Rural Health have also provided some support, it’s not enough to offset their losses. We can’t let rural hospitals go under during a national pandemic! If you agree, add your name to our petition. We need as many signatures as we can get by midnight so we can urge Congress to take action! Gina Ortiz Jones for Congress
Gina Ortiz Jones is an Iraq War veteran running to flip TX-23 -- Democrats' best shot in the entire country at flipping a district from red to blue. CONTRIBUTE Paid for by Gina Ortiz Jones for Congress Gina Ortiz Jones was a member of the United States Air Force. Use of her military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense.
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