Medical Deserts

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Medical Desert Definition: a populated region more than 60 minutes away from the nearest acute-care hospital.

Close to 1 in 5 Residential Areas in America don't have access to an acute-care hospital.

Including areas in:
Detroit
Los Angeles
Washington DC

And large rural regions in:
Texas
Georgia
Mississippi

A total of 640 entire U.S. counties are medical deserts.

It's a big deal
With rural communities already facing higher diabetes, heart problem, and cancer rates

Case Studies:

Coachella Valley, CA: [3]
Population: 346,518

1 doctor for every 1,653 residents in the eastern half of the valley
Now that several new clinics have opened.

It's a medical desert, literally:
11.6% of Desert Hot Springs struggled to receive healthcare due to transportation
15.3% of residents couldn't see a doctor because of office hours.

Contributing factors:
distance
sandstorms
wind

Belhaven, NC: [4]

It's a matter of business:

2 Medical Centers owned by the same company
1 in Washington, NC
1 in Belhaven, NC

"Failing Hospitals" must be restructured.

The Belhaven location was gutted of medical equipment which gutted revenue
+
An administrator who visited once a week was on the payroll for 6 figures.
=
Hospital loses $1.8 million a year, a reason for the owning company to "consolidate" campuses.

and

A reason for the owning company to "consolidate" campuses
—A medical desert was created.

1 hour drive from edges of service area to Washington, NC hospital
1 hour= most critical time for stroke recovery

Rural clinics refer patients to larger facilities owned by the same companies

Make money: through referrals for large services
Cancer Treatment
Heart Surgery
Specialists
Don't make money: by simply treating rural populations.

If you're critically injured, SHOULD you have to drive for an hour to get medical care?

Citations: