Throughout the years I’ve worked to serve my community, I’ve gained insight into the importance of equitable health access, particularly when it comes to hospitals.
As a County Commissioner and as a real estate broker committed to equitable zoning access, my work has revolved around fairness and equity. When you begin to focus on equity in health, you quickly realize our local hospitals are of greater importance than previously thought. Hospitals and health centers are the only places that provide specialty services that many patients need, like trauma care, burn units, NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units) and in-patient psychiatric care.
Imagine needing these specialty services but struggle to find a hospital or health center open and near you. For too many, this is not a hypothetical nightmare, but a growing reality. Due to skyrocketing care costs and lagging Medicare reimbursement rates, hospitals and health systems are being forced to make decisions like cutting the services they’re able to offer or even closing down. While a hospital closure impacts everyone, it is especially damaging to the already vulnerable who can least afford to have yet another pathway to medical care cut off.
Despite the challenges and inequities in our healthcare network, our hospitals and health systems are one great equalizer. They are open and provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their income or the ZIP code where they live.
In just the last 10 years, 12 hospitals have closed in Georgia alone. “Medical deserts” leave patients with inadequate access to medical care, forcing some to travel hours for routine care. I’ve heard countless stories of families struggling with this, and it’s getting worse. Not everyone has the ability to travel farther and farther to receive care. Patients who cannot afford transportation or lengthy time off work may end up just foregoing the medical care they need. Already, those experiencing poverty deal with more chronic diseases, higher mortality rates and overall lower life expectancy. We cannot allow access to quality, consistent healthcare to become even more defined as a privilege that is only for those in certain tax brackets. We must make healthcare more equitable for all, not less.
April is National Health Equity Month, a critical time to consider the importance of supporting patients and strengthening America’s hospitals. The status quo is not sustainable. While corporate insurance companies prioritize profits by delaying or denying patients’ care, numerous hospitals are struggling to stay open. Communities across Georgia and vulnerable people are going to fall victim to this care crisis if policy makers don’t take action. Together we can make a more equitable healthcare future for all. That starts with supporting our hospitals and health systems.
Monique Sheffield is the District 4 Commissioner for Cobb County
