Researchers study barriers and facilitators to accessing health care in rural Missouri

Rural Missourians often face more disparities in health outcomes than their urban and suburban counterparts, in part from challenges accessing health care—a problem amplified in recent years by a growing physician shortage. But a new study at the University of Missouri found that health and health care organizations are increasingly offering basic social services, such as transportation, housing, food, and mental health support, as they recognize these services contribute to a person’s overall health.