Addressing Barriers to Care in Rural America

June 1, 2023

Rural US residents face significant barriers to care that significantly worsen health outcomes. Addressing these barriers is a complex task due to the underlying reasons behind them. In a new Becker’s Hospital Review article, Karen Joynt-Maddox, MD, MPH, associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine talks about the importance of hospitals in rural areas and how providers can work to improve rural health outcomes.

According to Maddox, “Rural communities face a number of challenges when it comes to health and health care. There are higher rates of traditional risk factors, such as diabetes and hypertension; higher rates of other key risk factors such as mental health and substance use diagnoses; and a higher burden of adverse social determinants of health, such as poverty and limited education.2 Rural areas in states that have not expanded Medicaid have even greater challenges with access to care for people living in poverty. On top of those factors, rural areas are also facing a significant and growing challenge with health care access, particularly to specialty care and to high-acuity care. Finally, the intersection of rurality, poverty, and minoritized race or ethnicity defines the parts of our country with the lowest life expectancy and worst health outcomes.”

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