Many rural hospitals in the U.S. face serious financial problems. More than 110 have closed in less than a decade, and the trend accelerated last year. To examine the personal impact of this crisis, a dozen news organizations, including Side Effects, sent reporters across the Midwest. Our series explores the origins of the problem, as well as potential solutions.

This report is part of a collaboration of 12 newsrooms, led by IowaWatch and the Institute for Nonprofit News, with additional support from the Solutions Journalism Network. For more stories visit hospitals.iowawatch.org