Guidebook and Research Plan to Help Communities Improve Transportation to Health Care Services

The availability of transportation influences the ability of individuals to access health care, whether in urban, suburban or rural areas. Those lacking appropriate or available transportation miss health care appointments, resulting in delays in receiving medical interventions that can lead to poorer health outcomes. This in turn contributes to the rising cost of health care.

The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Research Report 223: Guidebook and Research Plan to Help Communities Improve Transportation to Health Care Services details how to initiate a dialogue between transportation and health care providers as well as subsequent actions and strategies for pursuing a partnership and implementing transportation solutions appropriate for patients.

Efforts to improve health in the United States increasingly recognize that it’s not just the health care system that is responsible. It’s a range of factors that collectively affect health and health outcomes. These factors are known as the “social determinants of health,” and, significantly, they include transportation.