July 21, 2023 – Cities across the nation continue to expand and grow, developing past urban areas into the suburbs and beyond. As urban development expands, traveling farther distances is required to access needed goods and services. When availability and access of public transportation systems does not grow with cities, people do not receive the services they need. Without access to certain services like pharmacies and healthcare, health outcomes suffer.
According to a survey on healthcare access and transportation conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one in five adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation reported skipping necessary healthcare services.
Many communities nationwide face barriers to accessing healthcare services due to limited provider availability, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and lack of insurance. Increasingly, lack of transportation has been a cause of adults choosing to forgo needed healthcare.
Access to transportation in the United States is a social driver of health. Many individuals, especially in urban areas, rely on public transit as their main form of transportation. Without access to a vehicle or reliable public transportation systems, patients are often unable to travel to a doctor’s office and as a result, they do not receive critical health services.
Read more in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.