EXCERPT: “The coronavirus outbreak has exposed the financial vulnerability facing small, rural healthcare facilities, many of which were already struggling to stay financially viable, according to a review of health care financial records and interviews with hospital administrators. The pandemic cost hospitals cash they did not have, while at the same time eliminated revenue those facilities ...

EXCERPT: “During Take a Kid Fishing Weekend Friday, June 5, to Sunday, June 7, Minnesota residents can fish without licenses if they take children 15 or younger along fishing, too. ‘Taking your kids fishing is a lot of fun and a great way to get them connected to the outdoors,’ said Benji Kohn, volunteer mentor ...

EXCERPT: “The road construction season churns forward regardless of distractions and crises. Even the heat doesn’t slow things down much, though rain and thunderstorms sometimes get the upper hand. The Highway 14 expansion project between Owatonna and Dodge Center is one of the biggest Greater Minnesota jobs taking place. The Minnesota Department of Transportation along with ...

Why the shift in how we pay for healthcare will drive further consolidations of rural healthcare services and what we can do about it May 2020 By Kelly Asche, Research Associate & Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research For a printable version of the report, click here. For a short video providing an overview of this ...

EXCERPT: “There won’t be a Washington County Fair this summer. Or a Freeborn County Fair in southern Minnesota. So far, about 1 in 3 Minnesota county fairs have been canceled for this summer, with more expected to follow in the wake of last week’s cancellation of the Minnesota State Fair. While 4-H is working on alternative ways for members to present ...

EXCERPT: “Spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, federal policy makers are pushing to spend billions of dollars to close gaps in America’s high-speed internet network. There is one big obstacle: Government officials say they don’t have a clear picture of where service gaps exist, meaning parts of the country will be left out when it is ...

Access to healthcare services has been an issue in rural areas for years. Our upcoming report takes a big dive into the reasons why, from the policies to the business models that cause services to be offered in one location but disappear from others.  CRPD research associate and project lead Kelly Asche joins Marnie and ...

Access to healthcare services has been an issue in rural areas for years. Our upcoming report takes a big dive into the reasons why, from the policies to the business models that cause services to be offered in one location but disappear from others.  CRPD research associate and project lead Kelly Asche joins Marnie and ...

EXCERPT: “If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has done consistently, it has been to highlight weaknesses in various areas, whether that be hospital supplies, food processing businesses or, more locally, broadband access. There have been warnings about all of these weaknesses for years. Local governments and chambers of commerce, for example, have been brainstorming ...

When taking population into account, the rate of COVID-19 cases is just as high, if not higher, in counties outside of the seven-county metro. By Kelly Asche May, 2020 Counties outside of the seven-county metro have some of the highest COVID-19 case rates in the state. But this so far hasn’t translated into a similarly ...