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Healthcare Access Barriers In Rural America, Lakyn E. Jolly

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

• In rural America, the path to accessing healthcare is met with many challenges. These challenges can present geographically and structurally within rural healthcare systems, as well as larger healthcare delivery entities. Due to these access barriers, rural Americans are at higher risk for developing poor health outcomes, as compared to their urban counterparts. Among these are higher mortality and morbidity rates, higher instances of chronic conditions, and higher rates of childhood obesity. Because rural communities are at risk for adverse health outcomes, it is vital that research and policy be geared toward reducing barriers to accessing healthcare within this population. …