Hospital Closures Increase Emergency Care Travel Time: Rural-Urban Disparities

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Examines the relationship between travel time to emergency care and hospital closures. Utilizes data from 2012-2023 hospital closures in Texas and analyzes 6,883 census tracts according to travel time to the nearest and second nearest emergency department (ED), with additional breakdowns by population characteristics and geographic categories of metro, micro, small town, or rural.

Huiwen Zheng, Scott Horel, Christine Crudo Blackburn

INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63

06/2026

Access · Closures of healthcare facilities and services · Emergency department and urgent care services · Emergency medical services · Hospitals · Rural-urban differences · Statistics and data · Texas