[1] An estimated 30 million Americans, many in rural regions of the country, live at least 60 minutes drive from a hospital with trauma care services.
[3] Limited access to emergency room services, as well as medical specialists, leads to increases in mortality rates and long-term health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The problem poses an even greater danger during the COVID-19 pandemic, when patients in respiratory distress urgently need oxygen[8] and can ill afford an hour-long ambulance ride to reach a hospital.
[10] Although concentrated in rural regions, health care deserts also exist in urban and suburban areas, particularly in Black-majority census tracts in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
[12][13] Factors such physician shortages and transportational barriers exacerbate healthcare disparities for the native American population leading postponement of care.