In 1985, the geographic distribution of hospitals in New York City was
dramatically unequal. People who lived in communities with the highest
levels of poverty tended to be less likely to live near a hospital. For
example, high-poverty communities in Southeast Queens lacked a hospital
in 1985, and the communities of Central Brooklyn, North and Central
Harlem, and the South Bronx had geographic access to only a few
hospitals. In contrast, several hospitals were clustered in eastern
Manhattan and other low-poverty communities.
As was the case in 1985, in 1995 hospitals remained disproportionately
clustered in higher-income communities in New York City, and communities
with higher levels of poverty were less likely to have a hospital.
Today, New Yorkers who live in low-income communities are less likely
than ever to live near a hospital. This trend may worsen: Of the 12
hospitals currently slated for closure, downsizing, or restructuring, 8
are located in or near high-poverty communities.
In 1985, the geographic distribution of hospitals in New York City was
dramatically unequal. People who lived in communities with the greatest
concentration of people of color tended to be less likely to live near a
hospital. For example, minority communities in Southeast Queens lacked
a hospital in 1985, and the communities of Central Brooklyn, North and
Central Harlem, and the South Bronx had geographic access to only a few
hospitals. In contrast, several hospitals were clustered in eastern
Manhattan and other majority-white communities.
As was the case in 1985, in 1995 people who lived in predominantly
minority communities in New York were less likely to live near a
hospital than people who lived in predominantly white communities.
These problems were made worse by the fact that of the five hospitals
that closed between 1985 and 1995 that maintained adequate patient
records, four served predominantly minority patients.
New Yorkers who live in predominantly minority communities face greater
geographic barriers to accessing a hospital than those who live in
predominantly white communities. These problems were made worse by the
fact that six of the eight hospitals that closed between 1995 and 2005
were located in or near communities of color.
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