Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Face Lack of Rapid Access to EMS

MONDAY, Aug. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Living in historically redlined areas is associated with a lack of rapid access to emergency medical services (EMS), according to a study published online Aug. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Cherisse Berry, M.D., from Rutgers Health at New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and colleagues examined whether historically redlined areas are less likely to have rapid access to EMS care. Analysis included geographic distribution of EMS centers across 236 U.S. cities in relation to Home Owners” Loan Corporation residential security maps (graded A [“most desirable”] to D [“hazardous”]).

The researchers found that 12.42 percent of the U.S. population lived in cities with redlining data, and among these, 5.34 percent lacked rapid access to 42,472 EMS stations. Compared to grade A areas, grade D areas had a higher proportion of residents without rapid EMS access (4.36 versus 7.06 percent). In grade D areas, the odds of having no rapid access to EMS were 1.67 times higher than in grade A areas. Grade D areas had a lower percentage of non-Hispanic White residents (39.36 percent, versus 65.21 percent in grade A areas), a higher percentage of non-Hispanic Black residents (27.85 versus 10.38 percent), and greater population density.

“While disparities in EMS access were known, our study is the first to analyze the association between historical redlining and rapid EMS availability on a national scale,” coauthor Dustin Duncan, Sc.D., of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, said in a statement. “Our findings reveal a novel and significant disparity that adds to the growing body of literature on how redlining still impacts health outcomes today.”

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