U.S.

Study Finds People In Poor Neighborhoods Wait Longer For Ambulances

Researchers found EMS response times were 10 percent slower in poorer communities than in wealthier ones.

Study Finds People In Poor Neighborhoods Wait Longer For Ambulances
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Americans in low-income neighborhoods tend to wait longer for ambulances than people in wealthier areas, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at more than 60,000 911 calls for cardiac arrest in 46 states over the span of a year. They found, on average, ambulance response times were 10 percent slower in poorer communities than in wealthier ones. 

Specifically, they found once a 911 call was placed, it took an average of nearly 19 minutes for patients in poorer neighborhoods to be transported to a hospital, compared to about 14 minutes in wealthier areas. After taking into account factors such as traffic and time of day, this amounted to a nearly four-minute difference.

Four minutes might not seem like much, but every passing minute can be crucial for those suffering cardiac arrest. The study also notes lower-income communities have higher rates of life-threatening incidences, and as such "rely more heavily on prehospital care."

Some possible reasons for the longer wait times, the researchers say, may be a lack of hospitals in low-income communities, or a shifting trend toward privately owned ambulance companies that may focus more on "profitability over public need."