How transportation can impact health in Atlanta
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More than one in five U.S. adults missed a medical appointment last year because they didn't have a way to get to it, according to a report by the Urban Institute.
- It's a problem that disproportionately affects women and households of color.
Why it matters: Transportation is a key social driver of health equity.
- While telehealth has reduced some transportation barriers, it's not accessible to all and can't replace in-person care for all medical needs, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.
What they found: Though 91% of adults reported they had access to a vehicle, the figure was substantially lower for Black adults (81%), those with low family incomes (78%) or a disability (83%), and for individuals with public health insurance (79%) or no coverage (83%).
Zoom in: In Atlanta, 17% of households don't have access to a vehicle, per the National Equity Atlas. Broken down by race, Black households are almost three times as likely to be without a vehicle as white households.
- There's also a glaring gender disparity. About 20% of Atlanta women are without a vehicle, compared to 13% of men.
The big picture: A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found as much as 40% of a person's health can be attributed to socioeconomic factors like education, employment and transportation availability.
What's happening: Some health care providers and nonprofits have programs to fill the gap locally, including CVS Health's partnership with Uber Health in Atlanta's 30318 zip code that provides free rides to medical appointments. Uber has also partnered with Health Force of Georgia to give rides to seniors.
- The state Department of Community Health gives rides to Medicaid-covered, non-urgent appointments.
- The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program will also drive cancer patients to appointments. (You can volunteer to drive patients, too!)
Go deeper: As Emma reported, statistics show rural Georgians have less access to health care and must travel farther for it, which can mean life or death.