Rural communities have unique vulnerabilities worsened by the pandemic

<p>"While Imperial County faces a confluence of vulnerabilities that have led to its susceptibility during COVID-19, it is not alone. Like an insidious undercurrent, these deficiencies are lurking in every region of the United States. Structural issues require structural solutions—to effectively contain COVID-19, our local, state, and federal leaders must address these underlying faults in the foundation of the systems which we rely on to maintain our personal and public health. As COVID-19 continues to aptly demonstrate, when the health of part of our community is imperiled, we are all imperiled."</p> <p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericraflayuan/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eric Rafla-Yuan</a> is a psychiatrist.</p> <p>He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article that he co-wrote, "A Southern California outbreak highlights failures of the American health care system." (<a href= "https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/a-southern-california-outbreak-highlights-failures-of-the-american-health-care-system.html">https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/a-southern-california-outbreak-highlights-failures-of-the-american-health-care-system.html</a>)</p>