Graphic of the week: Access to health providers in rural Ohio

New data analysis from HPIO has found that Ohioans in rural areas face greater challenges to accessing health care providers than the state overall. As illustrated above, rural counties have a lower rate of primary care, dental and mental health providers per capita than the state overall. And the bottom 10 counties for provider rates in all three categories are rural or partially rural counties.
 
Health is closely tied to the communities in which an individual lives, works and plays and ensuring access to medical services in rural areas can significantly improve health outcomes and reduce disparities.
 
On Wednesday Aug. 21, HPIO is hosting a free webinar titled "Spotlight on Rural Health: Innovative Solutions for Equity and Access.” The webinar will highlight rural healthcare infrastructure, access and health disparities. Speakers will explore unique health equity challenges in a rural context, how policy change can address challenges in rural healthcare access, and strategies for local and state policymakers to address workforce and specialist shortages in rural areas. Register here.