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, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.

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.

VDOT has signed off on plans to add a new exit off I-64 in Short Pump.

Why it matters: Planners say there are an alarming number of crashes in the area caused by exiting traffic backing up onto the interstate, reports Richmond BizSense's Jonathan Spiers.

What they're saying: “I don’t recall another quarter, or even like Northern Virginia, that had crash patterns like this," said Henrico Public Works director Terrell Hughes, per BizSense.

• Hughes said that, unabated, backups could stretch four miles by 2026.

Details: The $250 million project would add a new diverging-diamond style interchange at North Gayton Road.

• It would also take steps to improve surrounding roadways and exits by adding auxiliary lanes and reconfiguring the existing Broad Street exit.

What's next: The VDOT review was considered the project's biggest hurdle, per BizSense.

• The proposal now heads to an environmental study, with actual construction beginning in three to four years at the earliest.

🏔 The text of the federal debt ceiling bill includes approval of the remaining permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which runs from West Virginia through parts of southwest Virginia. (Politico)

🗞 Six Virginia newspapers owned by Richmond Times-Dispatch parent company Lee Enterprises are cutting their print production to three days a week effective the end of June. (Cardinal News)

• The papers, including the Daily Progress in Charlottesville and the Star-Exponent in Culpeper, will print Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and be delivered by mail instead of carrier.

Brenton Halsey, a local businessman and civic leader who was called the "father of the Riverfront" for raising money to build the Canal Walk and the Belle Isle pedestrian bridge, died at home Sunday. He was 96. (Times-Dispatch)

🚜 A 27-year-old man was arrested Saturday after stealing a bulldozer on Virginia State University's campus and driving it into an unoccupied campus police car and a school building, which was significantly damaged. (NBC12)

Stroll. Listen. Stroll some more.

What's happening: The Richmond Symphony's Mile of Music festival is back Saturday for its third year, this time in Bryan Park.

• The event, born out of COVID-19 restrictions but kept alive because it turned out to be fun, spaces five 20-minute ensemble performances around the park.

🐕 Of note: Dogs are welcome, and a handful from the SPCA will be treated as guests of honor, per Style Weekly.

Details: It's free. It's Saturday. It runs from 2-4:30pm.

• More details here.

💼 Check out who’s hiring now.

1. Director of Nursing at Vitality Living.
2. Director of Financial Aid at South University.
3. Assistant Teacher at Westminster Canterbury.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

The population growth in the Richmond region is ranking on a national scale.

Driving the news: The Richmond region saw the 15th highest population growth in the nation of metros with 1 million or more people, according to the Greater Richmond Partnership's analysis of new census data out this month.

What's happening: Big city dwellers in places like Manhattan, LA and San Francisco, armed with new remote work policies, fled those cities in search of cheaper housing and better quality of life.

• All three of those metros saw a 2-3% loss in population between 2020-2022.
• The Richmond region grew by about 1.72%, or around 28 people a day, per the Greater Richmond Partnership's analysis.

Yes, but: While the Richmond region is seeing strong population growth, it pales in comparison to what other mid-Atlantic cities are seeing, especially our neighbors in North Carolina, Cardinal News reported.

• Raleigh saw a 4.7% increase in population between 2020-2022 and Charlotte, 3.3%, ranking those cities at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, in the latest census data.