Longer Trips to the ER, Especially for Minorities and Poor

Closures of hospital trauma centers are disproportionately affecting poor, uninsured and African American populations, and nearly a fourth of Americans are now forced to travel farther than they once did. In a new study led by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), researchers examined changes in driving time to trauma centers, which have increasingly been shuttered in recent years.  They found that by 2007, 69 million Americans — nearly one in four — had to travel farther to the nearest trauma center than they traveled in 2001. Most affected by the closures were African Americans, poor, uninsured and rural residents. Keep reading
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