The Public Pandemic

The Public Pandemic

Uncertainty, instability and irregularity, despite the individual’s preference, have become common place in the current pandemic. In the midst of these undesirable consequences of COVID-19, educational and healthcare institutions have suffered financial stresses. Leaders, educators, parents and students must decide whether to return to campuses in person this fall or take learning and classwork online. Healthcare institutions have had to stop offering profit-making surgeries and other services to make room for the onslaught of COVID-19 cases. Layoffs and cutbacks have affected both types of institutions, and the impact of these institutions on the larger economy, while historically quite substantial, will be negative in the near future. Institutions of higher learning and hospital systems are often among the largest employers in cities and towns across the country, and more and more colleges and hospitals are having to make cutbacks o reven close because of declining revenues. States and cities, which have also suffered substantial revenue declines, will be hard-pressed to find sufficient monies to save even a significant number of troubled institutions. And all of those cities with the retail and restaurant establishments that are dependent on those colleges and hospitals for their revenues will suffer as well.

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