Perhaps one explanation for poor health outcomes in Detroit is a lack of access. The map below (left) helps to make sense of the health professional shortage areas in the city, which are defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration as areas that with shortages in primary care, dental care, or mental health care. In looking at this map side-by-side with the locations of Detroit's hospitals (right), it is clear that there are shortages of health professionals in all areas without the presence of a major hospital, including most of the city's neighborhoods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to issues such as transportation, Detroiters may find it hard to access these hospitals. Detroit is known for being a city with notably unreliable public transportation (detroit.curbed.com); it is also — ironically — the eight-most car free city in the United States, with 26% of households not owning a car (Univeristy of Michigan). Thus, residents may struggle to get to the nearest health provider. 

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This problem, which has an impact on all Detroiters, can also manifest itself into women's health issues. One example of this is through timeliness of breast cancer screenings. Many Detroit women experience a physical lack of access to health care in the city. Due to race-based residential segregation, African-American Detroiters are forced into neighborhoods with less resources, as well as poorer geographic access to primary care and screening services, leading to increased risk of late diagnosis. Long travel distance also discourages women from seeking breast cancer screening. Research shows that women who live in areas with more black segregation and poorer access to mammographs are more likely to receive a late diagnosis of breast cancer. Socioeconomic barriers, such as lack of access to transportation, may affect women's opportunities to be screened for breast cancer and receive a diagnosis in a timely fashion (Dai, 2010).

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Sources: 

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Dai, D. (2010). Black residential segregation, disparities in spatial access to health care facilities, and late-stage breast cancer diagnosis in metropolitan Detroit. Health & place, 16(5), 1038-1052.

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Hitchin' a ride: Fewer Americans have their own vehicle. (2014, January 23). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21923-hitchin-a-ride-fewer-americans-have-their-own-vehicle

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Map: Health Professional Shortages in Detroit. (2017, June 16). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://detroitography.com/2017/06/16/map-health-professional-shortages-in-detroit/

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Runyan, R. (2017, September 18). The challenges of using public transit in Detroit. Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/9/18/16320184/car-free-detroit-bike-public-transportation

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