The residents of Ralls, TX are facing uncertainty as they are at risk of losing their Emergency Medical Service station.

The problem the residents of Bowie, TX, face is one that has become more prevalent around the U.S. as at least 136 rural hospitals have closed in the last decade.

Texans in rural communities are facing an ongoing crisis as hospitals and medical facilities shutter. Randy Lindauer has spent the last few months renovating a hospital in East Texas, preparing it to reopen after it closed in 2019 — leaving about 56,000 residents without access to basic or emergency healthcare.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, rural communities in the Texas Panhandle have struggled to keep up in the fight against the coronavirus. Early on they faced limited testing supplies and personal protective equipment. Now they can’t seem to get vaccines into arms fast enough.