Modern Healthcare sought to map the regions of the United States with the worst access to healthcare and the most social vulnerabilities.with support from University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Modern Health Care uses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index and the Access Score from the Department of Health Resources and Services Administration to find common problems in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, the Bronx, New York, and Navajo County. We have identified regions with unique situations. , Arizona.
Mamu, Louisiana is the self-proclaimed Cajun music capital of the world. Every January, locals start preparing for Mardi Gras, the biggest celebration of his year. ‘Laissez les bons temps rouler’ (Let’s have a good time) is painted on the side of Fred’s Lounge, the city’s favorite bar. The weathered storefront windows along the main road are decorated with purple and gold.
Rural communities, a collection of swamps and prairies, rice fields and sugar cane fields, have been federally designated as having inadequate health care services since 1978. Its 3,000 residents identify as 65% white, 27% black, 4% Latino, and the rest mostly multiracial.
There are deep inequalities here, shaped by centuries of racial violence and steady population decline since 2000, perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and limited economic opportunity. Karen Weibull, vice president of community affairs at Oxner-Lafayette Comprehensive Medical Center, an hour’s drive from Mamou, said many residents live far from grocery stores and have access to the internet. They say there is a lack of access and reliable transportation to
The local economy revolves around Old Route 13, which runs south toward the Gulf of Mexico. There are no sidewalks in town. Businesses such as pharmacies, food markets, liquor stores, and barbecue he joints operate drive-throughs, which highlights how dependent residents are on automobiles.
In January, on the outskirts of town, outside the Savoy Medical Center, a Troy-Bilt mower was parked between Kia Telluride and Acura TL. Residents of a nearby senior housing complex steer their wheelchairs through roads and grassy areas. Ricky Peters is one of them.
