Where you live has an impact on your health. Healthcare outcomes are influenced by structural, economic, and social factors. And geography plays a significant role.
The interactive map below from Steven Aviles at Esri analyzes five barriers to healthcare. It explores the following:
- Health professional shortages
- Transportation access
- Lack of health insurance
- Financial constraints
- Language barriers
You can visualize these factors across the entire country. The map also includes bookmarks for four urban cities and four rural counties, so you can compare patterns. The results are surprising.
Take the Phoenix metro area. The same parts of the city that have healthcare shortages also have higher poverty rates. You can see similar patterns around Liberty County, Montana.
Some factors reflect the role of geography in a different way. Consider the view of Hispanic populations without health insurance. At a national level, we see very different trends among states. These disparities are likely driven by policy differences, such as Medicaid expansion.
The map does offer some hope, though. The final section focuses on potential solutions such as mobile clinics and telehealth. These interventions could be targeted to precise areas to help overcome some of the barriers shown on the map.
Mapping barriers to healthcare doesn’t just reveal where inequities exist. It provides a road map for communities to prioritize interventions as funding and other resources become available.
By the Numbers
People living in Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care.
Percentage of Americans who lack health insurance.
Average percentage of households in the US without vehicle access.
