@article{ref1,
title="Closing the gap: improving access to trauma care in New Mexico (2007-2017)",
journal="American journal of emergency medicine",
year="2019",
author="Anderson, Erik S. and Greenwood-Ericksen, Margaret and Wang, Nancy Ewen and Dworkis, Daniel A.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Trauma is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, and significant disparities exist in access to care, especially in non-urban settings. From 2007 to 2017 New Mexico expanded its trauma system by focusing on building capacity at the hospital level. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted a geospatial analysis at the census block level of access to a trauma center in New Mexico within 1 h by ground or air transportation for the years 2007 and 2017. We then examined the characteristics of the population with access to care. A multiple logistic regression model assessed for remaining disparities in access to trauma centers in 2017. <br><br>RESULTS: The proportion of the population in New Mexico with access to a trauma center within 1 h increased from 73.8% in 2007 to 94.8% in 2017. The largest increases in access to trauma care within 1 h were found among American Indian/Alaska Native populations (AI/AN) (35.2%) and people living in suburban areas (62.9%). In 2017, the most rural communities (aOR 58.0), communities on an AI/AN reservation (aOR 25.6), communities with a high proportion of Hispanic/Latino persons (aOR 8.4), and a high proportion of elderly persons (aOR 3.2) were more likely to lack access to a trauma center within 1 h. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The New Mexico trauma system expansion significantly increased access to trauma care within 1 h for most of New Mexico, but some notable disparities remain. Barriers persist for very rural parts of the state and for its sizable American Indian community.<br><br>Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0735-6757",
doi="10.1016/j.ajem.2019.02.030",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2019.02.030"
}