States, Providers Brace for `War Zone’ in Next Coronavirus Wave

The coronavirus won’t take hospital executive Jay Johnson by surprise but he still faces many of the same problems as his colleagues in areas hardest hit by the outbreak.

The CEO of Duncan Regional Hospital three weeks ago brought his southern Oklahoma hospitals and clinics to a near halt by canceling elective surgeries and retraining health-care providers to treat Covid-19 patients.

“It’s amazing how few people are here right now,” Johnson said of the hospital. “We’re ready for something, but we’ve completely brought the business model to its knees.”

Contractors work at a field hospital inside the TFC Center in Detroit,on April 4, 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hits the metro area.

Anthony Lanzilote/Bloomberg

Like many executives running rural hospitals and clinics in states ...