Rural Service Delivery

TP3 - Geographic Distance and Inadequate Transportation are Barriers to Care for People with Mental Illness: Engaging the Elephant in the Room

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Location: South Exhibit Hall HJK, Level 2, LACC

Poster Presenter(s)

Aadin Miller, BS

Evaluation Research Coordinator
Compass Health Network
Clinton, Missouri
Paul Thomlinson, Ph.D

Executive Director-Compass Health Research Institute
Compass Health Network
Springfield, Missouri

Effective, affordable, convenient transportation is “the elephant in the room” in making care accessible, especially to clients who are economically disadvantaged. Empirically, transportation represents a substantial barrier to accessing health care. This presentation will assess the root causes of transportation issues clients face for a large, mostly rural-based behavioral health organization, with applicability to similarly situated organizations. Our data on the distance required of clients are drawn from 400 randomly selected clients stratified by Compass geographic regions. This presentation will also address transportation alternatives available for office locations, as well as strategies to help meet this need.

Learning Objectives:

Describe geographic, distance and other transportations related barriers impacting the ability of clients to access needed care.
Expound on the problems lack of reliable transportation can cause for people with serious mental illness.
Enumerate the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives available to clients, explaining the ways Compass addresses the transportation barriers faced by clients in our geographically diverse regions.