title: Transportation to clinic: findings from a pilot clinic-based survey of low-income suburbanites.
abstract: Health care policymakers have cited transportation barriers as key obstacles to providing health care to low-income suburbanites, particularly because suburbs have become home to a growing number of recent immigrants who are less likely to own cars than their neighbors. In a suburb of New York City, we conducted a pilot survey of low income, largely immigrant clients in four public clinics, to find out how much transportation difficulties limit their access to primary care. Clients were receptive to the opportunity to participate in the survey (response rate = 94%). Nearly one-quarter reported having transportation problems that had caused them to miss or reschedule a clinic appointment in the past. Difficulties included limited and unreliable local bus service, and a tenuous connection to a car. Our pilot work suggests that this population is willing to participate in a survey on this topic. Further, since even among those attending clinic there was significant evidence of past transportation problems, it suggests that a population based survey would yield information about substantial transportation barriers to health care.
authors.affiliation: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. Diana.silver@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blustein
authors.forename: Beth C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Weitzman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013383:Suburban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014186:Transportation; D055815:Young Adult