Rural Health Beyond the Mainland: Transportation, Access, and Care in Hawaii

What happens when accessing health care requires booking a flight instead of driving down the road? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, we talk with John Desfor, a University of Iowa MPH graduate now working in rural health research and policy in Hawaii. John shares what rural health looks like in one of the most geographically isolated regions in the United States and why transportation access is one of the most critical and overlooked barriers to care. We explore how inter-island travel for medical appointments leads to missed visits, delayed diagnoses, and worsening health outcomes, and why transportation should be treated as a core social determinant of health. John also walks us through policy solutions developed through community listening sessions and research, including insurance coverage gaps, emergency transport coordination, and innovative alternatives to traditional air travel. This conversation reframes transportation as a solvable policy problem with national relevance. A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-rural-health-beyond-the-mainland-transportation-access-and-care-in-hawaii/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged in to Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #ruralhealth #careaccess #hawaii #MPHGraduate #research #policy #healthcare #transportation #problemsolving #iowacity #criticalcare