Study: Trauma center closings hurting rural, urban poor

A new national study on disparities in care has found that about 69 million Americans, or about one-quarter of the population, travelled farther to a trauma center in 2007 than they did in 2001 (Source: “Poor, uninsured hit hardest by closing of trauma centers nationwide,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 6, 2011).

Among the major findings were that for more than 16 million Americans, the drive to a trauma center increased by more than 30 minutes in the six-year time period that was studied. According to the study, high-poverty urban and rural areas were more likely to face increased drive-time.

"I'm not saying we need trauma centers on every corner. What we need to do is focus on coordination of care to save lives," said Dr. Renee Yuen-Jan Hsia, who authored the study.

The study, “Rising Closures Of Hospital Trauma Centers Disproportionately Burden Vulnerable Populations,”  was published in the journal Health Affairs.