Title:
Accessibility To Healthcare Via Public Transit: A Case Study Of The Atlanta Metropolitan Area
Accessibility To Healthcare Via Public Transit: A Case Study Of The Atlanta Metropolitan Area
Author(s)
Baral, Ivee
Advisor(s)
Guensler, Randall L.
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Abstract
Access to transportation is one of the major social determinants of health (SDOH). Environmental
conditions where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age have an impact on a variety of
health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks; these conditions are known as social
determinants of health (American Hospital Association, 2023). For households without cars, public
transportation is essential for accessing healthcare (Liu et al., 2022). Adequate public transportation can
help ensure patients are able to attend their healthcare appointments as scheduled and decrease the number
of missed appointments. On the other hand, a lack of public transit could disrupt health outcomes by leading
to delayed diagnoses or exacerbating existing conditions (American Hospital Association, 2023). Due to
varying socioeconomic factors such as race, ethnicity, and car ridership, different households have unequal
access to healthcare, so transit is their only way of reaching healthcare facilities (Liu et al., 2022). This
study will investigate the accessibility of healthcare in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area via MARTA bus routes
to understand how accessible healthcare is for transit-dependent individuals. Transit dependency constitutes
individuals who have limited access to other modes of transportation, such as those above 65, below 18,
and people with disabilities (American Public Transit Association, 2017). The goal of this study is to
identify the census tracts in the study area that have limited access to healthcare facilities via transit,
especially for transit-dependent people. The study will focus on the MARTA bus routes rather than the
MARTA rail, as there is greater reach through the bus network.
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Date Issued
2023-12-12
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