Focus-19

After 2-month decline, medical transportation needs rising

Requests to 2-1-1s for health services and medical transportation are rising in tandem. In an earlier report, we found that health service requests increased dramatically in the third month of the pandemic. After analyzing 10,594 requests to 2-1-1s for medical transportation made between January 1 and June 22, 2020, we found a similar, though less dramatic, pattern. Before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, requests for medical transportation averaged between 80 and 100 requests a day. By April, they had declined to less than 40 requests per day, as in-person health care visits dropped. Requests to 2-1-1s for medical transportation are increasing again, and now average over 60 requests per day. Because many people needing medical transportation, such as rides to and from a doctor’s appointment, may contact their health care provider first, the volume of 2-1-1 requests is less important an indicator than its increase or decline. The bars in the charts below represent the number of requests each day, and the line represents a 7-day rolling average calculated using current and six prior days. Mouse the bars in the chart below to see the number of requests for that day and the line to see average number of requests. Data are from all or parts of 32 states served by 2-1-1s that participate in a daily tracking system: AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, WA, WI and WY.

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