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Getting there is half the battle: How transportation impacts your health

Featured photo credit: Steve Buissinne/Pixabay

Written by Dr. Aisha Harris

How are you getting to wherever you need to be, or are going? Do you drive a car? Do you

walk? Do you take a bus? Do you get a ride from someone? Transportation plays an important

role in how we live our day-to-day lives. Everything we do outside of our homes depends on

how we get there. Or, in some cases, how we do not get there.

 

Did you know transportation is a social determinant of health? Meaning it directly and indirectly

impacts how we access health care, obtain wellness and manage our chronic medical

problems. Our transportation options are both within and out of our control, which makes it a

complex area to discuss when it comes to health outcomes and quality of life.

 

Transportation can be seen through multiple perspectives. One is our personal transportation,

and another is the transportation infrastructure: our community. Both are dependent on the

other, but they impact health in different ways.

 

Personal transportation includes transportation options such as walking, driving a car, riding a

bus, riding a bike, etc. Going anywhere and everywhere requires some thought of the

transportation options someone has. Additionally, transportation needs vary based on the

person and their responsibilities, finances, neighborhood and physical ability.

 

In health, transportation is essential to how people access health care and maintain health,

whether it is getting to the doctor, picking up medication from the pharmacy, going to the

grocery store to maintain nutritional needs, or walking around their neighborhood to get more

exercise. Millions of people in the United States do not get medical care because of

transportation issues. Transportation issues include long distances, no vehicle access,

transportation costs or even inadequate infrastructure to help address their transportation

needs.

Dr. Aisha Harris Photo provided by Dr. Harris

How people get to places determines if they will be able to ultimately get care and maintain

care. Because if people cannot get to various places, there may be medical delays, medical

complications, or inadequate follow up of recommendations and plans. Thinking about

transportation –  reliable and adequate transportation, will help us be better prepared for what

our transportation options and needs are in order to access health care appropriately, timely

and consistently so we can care for ourselves and our families.

 

Transportation infrastructures also play an important role in how we access health care. Not

every city is walkable. Not every person is able to walk a walkable city. Not every city has

buses. Not every person can afford public transportation. Not every person has access to a

car. Not every person can drive a car, or drive long distances to an appointment. There are a

lot of variables when it comes to the transportation infrastructure. There are a lot of options to

how a city, urban or rural, can look when it comes to transportation. But the infrastructure we

create in our communities must adapt and include the needs of the entire community in order

to not create more barriers and challenges, but help address them.

 

Within the city of Flint, we have the Mass Transportation Authority that runs our bus system.

There are a variety of routes, but we have to ask ourselves: are there enough routes? Are the routes

working for people? How many people need to ride the bus? As the Vehicle City, how many

people in Flint have cars? How many need cars? How many can afford cars? In our

neighborhoods, how many neighborhoods are walkable? How many bike paths are available?

 

Questions have to be asked continuously, every quarter and every year, so we know how the

infrastructure is working or not working for our current population. Transportation impacts how

we access health, food, work, school and more. So, if we are not adapting and building toward

better transportation options and infrastructures, barriers will leave people behind, waiting to

get places they need to be. This will lead to physical, mental, emotional and financial decline

as things that should be done and need to be done will not be done without the ability to move

as needed.

 

So it might not seem like a connected topic, but transportation is important for health. Local

and state policies and strategic plans influence our today and our tomorrow. Reflecting on our

transpiration options, needs and wants will help us build a better community for ourselves and

our families. Having a primary care doctor is important for prevention and management of

medical problems. But getting to that doctor is sometimes the hardest step for many people

for a variety of reasons we should be working to address and resolve.

 

Dr. Aisha Harris, MD is a Flint native and board-certified family medicine doctor at

Harris Family Health in Flint, Michigan. Harris Family Health is a membership-based clinic that

provides personalized and full primary care to adults and children. Learn more about Harris

Family Health by visiting www.harrisfamilyhealth.com.

 

Feel free to submit health questions to Dr. Harris via theflintcouriernews@gmail.com.

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