I m seeing that a lot, said Pierce.
Individual attitudes regarding the COVID-19 vaccine are important but less important than the physical barriers to health care.
These trends point to an all-too familiar problem. East Tennessee’s unequal distribution of health care resources and infrastructure which already damage the health of Tennesseans here in innumerable ways hurt even more in a global pandemic.
Addressing these inequalities will require a multipronged approach in the short term and investment in the health of vulnerable communities in the long term, experts say.
Bringing down barriers
People in rural or vulnerable counties are at greater risk of living far from emergency care centers and overall have less access to primary care.