Dr. Yvonne Jonk, Professor of Public Health at the Muskie School of Public Service and
Director of the Maine Rural Health Research Center, is bringing national attention to a
critical issue affecting rural health: ambulance deserts – areas located more than 25
minutes from the nearest ambulance station.
In her latest research, Dr. Jonk and her team found that over 4.5 million people in the
U.S. live in ambulance deserts, and more than half of them live in rural communities.
These areas often have few emergency services, long travel times, and limited staffing –
sometimes relying entirely on volunteers.
Dr. Jonk’s research has been featured in a new video by Vox explaining how gaps in
ambulance access are affecting people nationwide. Watch the video here. Additionally,
this work was highlighted in a recent article by the Boston Federal Reserve on rural
health care issues.
Congratulations to Dr. Jonk and her team on this revealing new analysis highlighting
systemic disparities in emergency medical service (EMS) access across the United
States.