DEAR EDITOR:

The COVID-19 crisis has had serious repercussions on all areas of industry, and despite being a health care pandemic, our hospitals are at the forefront of the impact.

Hospitals and medical providers all halted nonemergency procedures in order to preserve personal protective equipment and to allocate necessary space for projected patient needs. Fortunately, Ohio’s number never reached these peaks, leaving many of our hospitals in a very perilous fiscal position.

Rural areas like ours are especially hurting. We need our medical professionals and health care systems to be positioned well for potential increases in sickness and to be as financially viable as possible to provide medical access for rural regions.

I ask our congressional delegation and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman to include our health care systems and professionals in future coronavirus emergency funding.

JAMIE CAMPBELL

Lake Milton