Communications of the ACM
UBC Study Highlights Need to Improve Healthcare Access in Vancouver, Portland, Seattle
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada developed a data science method helps analyze how easily a city's citizens can access hospitals and walk-in health clinics.
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A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada yielded a data science technique for analyzing how easily citizens can access hospitals and walk-in health clinics.
With the help of open source census and transit data, the team crafted algorithms for Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland to compare each city's population with public transit and hospital networks, in order to ascertain whether residents could access healthcare by transit or foot.
Easy access to healthcare was lacking for many citizens in all three cities, due to insufficient facilities and transit service, compounded by numerous residents based in low-income neighborhoods.
Said UBC's Martino Tran, "By improving open source data and tools, planners can potentially design better transit networks and essential services that are more accessible to citizens who may need it the most, thereby balancing economic growth with the rights of marginalized citizens."
From UBC News
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Abstracts Copyright © 2019 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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