Investigating the Spatial Relationship between Social Vulnerability and Healthcare Facility Distribution in Nassau County, New York

Alea Jones, Ijeoma Nnadi, Kelly Centeno, Giselle Molina, Rida Nasir, Gina G. Granger, Nicholas R. Mercado, Andrea A. Ault-Brutus, Martine Hackett and Ibraheem M. Karaye ()
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Alea Jones: Pipeline Programs, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Ijeoma Nnadi: Pipeline Programs, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Kelly Centeno: Pipeline Programs, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Giselle Molina: Pipeline Programs, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Rida Nasir: Department of Population Health, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Gina G. Granger: Pipeline Programs, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Nicholas R. Mercado: Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
Andrea A. Ault-Brutus: Department of Population Health, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Martine Hackett: Department of Population Health, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
Ibraheem M. Karaye: Department of Population Health, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: Health is a fundamental human right, yet healthcare facilities are not distributed equitably across all communities. This study aims to investigate the distribution of healthcare facilities in Nassau County, New York, and examine whether the distribution is equitable across different social vulnerability levels. An optimized hotspot analysis was conducted on a dataset of 1695 healthcare facilities—dental, dialysis, ophthalmic, and urgent care—in Nassau County, and social vulnerability was measured using the FPIS codes. The study found that healthcare facilities were disproportionately distributed in the county, with a higher concentration in areas of low social vulnerability compared to areas of high social vulnerability. The majority of healthcare facilities were found to be clustered in two ZIP codes—11020 and 11030—that rank among the top ten wealthiest in the county. The results of this study suggest that socially vulnerable residents in Nassau County are at a disadvantage when it comes to attaining equitable access to healthcare facilities. The distribution pattern highlights the need for interventions to improve access to care for marginalized communities and to address the underlying determinants of healthcare facility segregation in the county.

Keywords: healthcare access; social vulnerability; disparities; hotspot analysis; healthcare facility distribution; segregation; Nassau County; New York (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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