In many rural towns, local hospitals are community fixtures. When they close, the entire community feels the ripple effects.

Millions of people are poised to lose access to abortion across Kentucky and parts of the Midwest pending court battles and elections. More pregnancies mean more need for prenatal care in a region already lacking.

In Iowa, midwives who are specially trained in home birth are pushing for licensure, as interest in home births rises and rural labor and delivery units continue to shutter.

Some small towns in the Midwest are growing due to an influx of immigrants, which includes some who speak rare languages. Hospitals and community leaders have had to adapt to make COVID vaccines accessible to those communities.

The Lincoln Scholars program at Southern Illinois University's School of Medicine aims to train up-and-coming physicians to work in rural areas by providing them with rural clinical experience right off the bat.

The coronavirus swept through the nations meat processing facilities in 2020. Nearly two years into the pandemic, many are still searching for answers and calling for change.