How access to transportation affects Richmonders' health
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More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation missed or skipped a medical appointment last year, according to a report by the Urban Institute.
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.
What they found: Nationwide, 21% of adults without access to a vehicle or public transit said they went without needed medical care in 2022.
- 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 people with public health insurance (79%) or no coverage (83%).
Zoom in: In the Richmond region, nearly 7% of households don't have access to a vehicle — and that number is even higher for people of color, especially women, per the National Equity Atlas.
- Of the roughly 35,000 households in the Richmond region without access to a car, more than half — 19,100 — are Black heads of households, and 64% are female heads of households.
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.
Worth noting: Access to public transportation can greatly improve access to health care, the Urban Institute study found.
- And in Richmond, GRTC is readying expansion into Chesterfield to begin this fall and studying an extension of its rapid transit line, Pulse, into Henrico.