Understanding Transportation Barriers to Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Enhancing Access in Rural Nebraska

Led by Abigail Cochran
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Study Overview:

Transportation-related barriers pose significant challenges for individuals seeking access to health care services, particularly affecting vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, frequent health care users, and rural residents. Such barriers are known to affect the over 20 million Americans with a substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis and have been shown to critically impact individuals seeking SUD treatment. In Nebraska, where rural areas face considerable health care access disparities, addressing transportation barriers to care is crucial. In this project we aim to identify and address transportation obstacles to accessing SUD treatment in Nebraska, focusing on understanding accessibility and characterizing barriers in underserved rural communities.

 

Specific Aims:

(Aim 1): Geospatial and Temporal Analysis of Accessibility to SUD Treatment Facilities. Our first aim is to conduct comprehensive spatiotemporal analyses to evaluate travel time-based accessibility for individuals with SUD.
 

(Aim 2): Qualitative Exploration of Transportation Barriers through Semi-Structured Interviews. Our second aim involves gaining insights directly from practitioners involved in SUD treatment. Through semi-structured interviews, we aim to capture a nuanced understanding of transportation barriers faced by individuals seeking treatment in rural Nebraska.
 

Overall, by combining spatiotemporal analysis with qualitative exploration through practitioner interviews, we expect to provide a comprehensive understanding of transportation barriers to SUD treatment in rural Nebraska. The ultimate goal is to inform targeted interventions and programming that address transportation barriers to care, enhance accessibility, promote health equity, and improve health outcomes for individuals with SUD living in underserved rural settings.

 

Study Sample Population:

Individuals with a substance use disorder diagnosis living in Nebraska.

 

Long-Term Goals:

This work will, importantly, advance understanding of the role of transportation access in SUD treatment, particularly in rural settings, relying on both quantitative and qualitative interpretations. Our approach and findings can assist transportation and health professionals in identifying areas of high risk and high need, and tailoring locally sensitive, creative, and innovative interventions for such areas that could be particularly effective. By contributing to understanding transportation’s vital role as a social determinant of health as it relates to substance use and misuse, this research closely aligns with the Rural Drug Addiction Research Center’s mission of addressing the treatment of this critical public health challenge from a holistic perspective. Results will be able to inform health-promoting planning, policymaking, and practice within and beyond Nebraska, with implications for addressing pressing transportation and health equity issues facing vulnerable, underserved populations in rural settings.

 

Abigail Cochran
Project Director

Dr. Abigail Cochran holds a Master of City Planning and Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She is broadly interested in travel behavior, transportation policy, disability, aging, and health. She is an Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
 

Full Abigail Cochran bio