Care Coordinators’ Perspectives on Transportation Barriers to Accessing Healthcare in North Carolina During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought sudden and drastic changes to daily life. Several trends converged that influenced changes in travel behavior including loss of income and benefits from widespread layoffs or reductions in work hours, and reduced transit capacity due to service cuts or boarding restrictions. Healthcare access was also impacted. Staff at overwhelmed hospitals were faced with diverting patients or delaying transfers. Even healthcare facilities with minimal COVID-19 patient loads postponed elective care. Overall, hospitals and other facilities tightened restrictions on patients’ visitor/guest policies. This qualitative study explores how the COVID pandemic impacted transportation access to healthcare and the innovative solutions used to address those barriers—from the perspective of care coordinators (social workers, nurses and other professionals in the medical field who support patients in utilizing medical care, including addressing transportation issues).
Lindsay Oluyede (AICP)
PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant
Transportation Planning
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