Death rates are rising across rural America

Research published in the June 8th edition of the Journal of the American Medical Society reports that in rural America, more people die from chronic health conditions and substance abuse than in suburbs and cities, and the gap is widening. The new study found that rural death rates, in comparison to urban rates, have tripled over the past 20 years. The increases are mostly in the category of middle-aged white men and women.

“In rural areas, death from conditions like heart and lung diseases as well as so-called ‘deaths of despair’ from drugs, alcohol and suicide have risen significantly, and are likely to continue doing so ,said lead researcher Dr. Haider Warraich, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the VA Boston Healthcare System.

"A lot of what we're seeing already in our society, especially with regard to the challenges of rural America, are a consequence of this public health crisis," said Warraich. "I think, often times, there's a feeling that what happens in these areas stays there, and it's not a problem for the rest of the country. That might become harder to ignore as the crisis evolves and transforms into something that might be even greater."

(Stephen Reinberg, Health Day News, June 8, 2021)