Research / Health & Human Services
SLC Regional Resource | June 2021
Rural Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rural hospitals are a vital part of the U.S. healthcare sector and provide strong economic impacts. These healthcare facilities, which have an average of 25 inpatient beds, differ from urban hospitals in several ways. Many rural hospitals serve as the first point of care, sending patients to larger hospitals with more staff and medical equipment for specialized treatment. Due to their larger size and budgets, urban hospitals can offer a more comprehensive array of services. However, many rural hospitals perform just as well as urban hospitals and, in some cases, even outperform them.
Due to several factors, rural hospitals have struggled financially for years; 180 of them have closed since January 2005, with most closures in the South.* The reasons behind these closures include decreasing rural populations, changing federal healthcare regulations, and geographic isolation. A February 2019 report from Navigant, a Chicago-based consulting firm, found that 21 percent of U.S. rural hospitals were at high risk of closing unless their finances improve.
Since the emergence of COVID-19, Southern states have taken numerous measures in response to the pandemic. This SLC Regional Resource provides a summary of important state-level legislation related to rural hospitals and rural healthcare enacted between January 2020 and April 2021.
* For more on these issues, please see the November 2019 SLC Regional Resource, Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Policy Analysis | April 2021
Coronavirus Impacts on State Legislatures: 2021
Last updated: April 15, 2021
As of April 15, 2021, approximately 2.9 million people worldwide, including 548,000 Americans, have died from the coronavirus pandemic. On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an emergency use authorization for Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. On December 18, 2020, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine for use in individuals 18 or older. On February 27, 2021, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a recommended schedule for states to administer these vaccines. As of April 15, approximately 123 million vaccinations have been administered in the United States. Against this backdrop, Southern legislatures are convening for their 2021 legislative sessions.
This SLC Policy Analysis, updated as new measures are implemented, tracks the special measures that Southern legislatures are adopting in order to meet safely in 2021.
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Policy Analysis | March 2021
Unemployment in the SLC Region Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Disclaimer: On November 30, 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the U.S. Department of Labor inaccurately reported the number of people filing for unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Due to the historic number of individuals filing for benefits beginning in March 2020, and states' frequent backlogs processing the claims, the traditional method of reporting unemployment did not accurately capture the number of unique individuals claiming benefits, according to the GAO report. For example, if a person filed for five weeks of benefits in a given week, the Department of Labor typically counted it as five separate claimants, not one. This method of reporting normally is a reliable proxy for the number of unique individuals claiming benefits, but it did not account for states' processing delays and claimants retroactively applying for benefits during the pandemic. While the absolute figures may not be accurate, the trend levels remain helpful for understanding the overall employment outlook.
This SLC Policy Analysis was concluded on March 26, 2021. For additional information regarding the Department of Labor data, please contact Roger Moore at rmoore@csg.org.
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SLC Human Services & Public Safety Committee
2020-2021
Chair
Senator
Katrina Shealy
South Carolina
2020-2021
Vice Chair
Representative
Fredrick J. Love
Arkansas
Immediate
Past Chair
(former) Senator
Doug Overbey
Tennessee
Ensuring the public's general welfare and protection are among states' most pressing concerns, with both areas constituting considerable shares of state budgets. The SLC Human Services & Public Safety Committee has a broad agenda, which takes into account the challenges states face in the areas of human services and corrections, as well as policies and programs that address them. The committee frequently undertakes assessments of pressing health issues including the national opioid crisis, organ donations and long-term care, as well as various corrections issues such as aging inmate populations, female offenders and mental health parity in prisons.
More SLC Research into Health & Human Services
Policy Analysis | March 2021
Policy Analysis | February 2021
Policy Analysis | December 2020
Webinar | September 2020
Webinar | July 2020
Webinar | July 2020
School-Based Health Centers: Ensuring Student Access to Care – During the Pandemic and Beyond
Policy Analysis | July 2020
Policy Analysis | June 2020
Policy Analysis | June 2020
SLC Regional Resource | May 2020
Policy Analysis | January 2020
Other | December 2019
Policy Analysis | November 2019
SLC Regional Resource | November 2019
Policy Analysis | August 2019
Comparative Data Reports | August 2019
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid and Transportation
Policy Analysis | May 2019
Policy Analysis | April 2019
SLC Regional Resource | April 2019
Policy Analysis | April 2019
Policy Analysis | January 2019
Other | January 2019
SLC Issue Brief | October 2018
Policy Analysis | September 2018
Policy Analysis | August 2018
Comparative Data Reports | July 2018
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid and Transportation
SLC Regional Resource | May 2018
Policy Analysis | April 2018
Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Medical Marijuana: An Overview
SLC Special Series Report | December 2017
Comparative Data Reports | July 2017
Policy Analysis | April 2017
Webinar | February 2017
SLC Special Series Report | January 2017
Webinar | July 2016
Comparative Data Reports | June 2016
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid and Transportation
Policy Analysis | June 2016
SLC Regional Resource | May 2016
Policy Analysis | May 2016
Policy Analysis | April 2016
SLC Regional Resource | March 2016
Policy Analysis | January 2016
State Authority to Admit Refugees: Background and Recent Developments
Policy Analysis | November 2015
Webinar | October 2015
Policy Analysis | September 2015
Policy Analysis | June 2015
Policy Analysis | May 2015
Policy Analysis | May 2015
SLC Regional Resource | April 2015
Policy Analysis | February 2015
February 2015: The Status of Medicaid Expansion in the SLC States
Policy Analysis | January 2015
SLC Issue Alert | October 2014
Webinar | October 2014
Policy Analysis | August 2014
Comparative Data Reports | July 2014
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Webinar | July 2014
In the Weeds: Exploring the Science around Medical Marijuana and the Operation of a State Program
Policy Analysis | May 2014
State Efforts to Reorganize and Reform Child Welfare/Social Services Agencies
SLC Regional Resource | March 2014
Webinar | October 2013
Policy Analysis | October 2013
Comparative Data Reports | July 2013
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Policy Analysis | July 2013
Reduction of Early Elective Deliveries for Medicaid and SCHIP Recipients
Webinar | May 2013
Food Safety Modernization Act: Impacts for Farmers, Producers and States
Webinar | March 2013
Webinar | December 2012
The Meningitis Outbreak and the Regulation of Compounding Companies: Federal and State Roles
SLC Issue Alert | October 2012
Policy Analysis | September 2012
Comparative Data Reports | July 2012
Policy Analysis | June 2012
Policy Analysis | March 2012
Policy Analysis | September 2011
Comparative Data Reports | July 2011
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Article | July 2011
Policy Analysis | May 2011
Policy Analysis | November 2010
SLC Regional Resource | July 2010
Policy Analysis | March 2010
SLC Regional Resource | January 2010
Policy Analysis | January 2010
Policy Analysis | October 2009
SLC Issue Alert | January 2009
Comparative Data Reports | July 2008
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Policy Analysis | March 2008
Policy Analysis | February 2008
Comparative Data Reports | November 2007
Comparative Data Reports | November 2006
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Comparative Data Reports | November 2005
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Comparative Data Reports | July 2004
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Comparative Data Reports | July 2003
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Comparative Data Reports | July 2002
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Gaming, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
Comparative Data Reports | November 2001
Adult Correctional Systems, Education, Gaming, Medicaid, Revenue and Transportation
SLC Regional Resource | April 2001
Comparative Data Reports | November 2000
SLC Regional Resource | November 2000
Southern States' Safe Child Abandonment Laws and Proposed Legislation