Description/Abstract

Access to timely hospital care is essential for health equity, yet there are significant disparities in hospital accessibility across Puerto Rico. This data slice uses data from the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau to show the stark geographic inequities in travel times to the nearest hospitals in Puerto Rico. While many residents in urban areas enjoy hospital access within 15 minutes, those in rural and mountainous regions face an average travel time of 30 minutes or more to reach critical care facilities. These travel time disparities underscore a troubling reality: residents in rural and isolated areas are disproportionately disadvantaged in accessing hospital care.

Document Type

Data Slice

Keywords

Puerto Rico, geographic inequities, health equity, hospital accessibility

Disciplines

Family, Life Course, and Society | Place and Environment | Rural Sociology

Date

1-28-2025

Language

English

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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