Just a few miles separate ZIP codes 16503 and 16508, yet residents of 16508 live, on average, a full decade longer. This gap isn’t just a statistic, it’s a reflection of the health disparities that persist across our city and county … especially in communities that have long been overlooked, whether in the heart of Erie or miles outside of it. It tells us that access to care, safe housing, nutritious food, clean air and educational opportunity are still distributed unevenly.
At the Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System (MHEDS), we see this reality every day. And we believe it’s time for Erie to ask: What kind of community do we want to be?
A region divided by health
In some neighborhoods, 1 in 7 adults still lack a personal health care provider. In others, patients struggle with cost, transportation or language barriers just to see a doctor. And among young adults earning less than $15,000 annually, that gap in care grows even wider.
In rural areas across Erie County, many residents face geographic isolation that makes even basic care hard to reach. For them, the nearest doctor might be 30 miles away. If you can’t drive, can’t take time off work or can’t afford gas, you go without. These barriers are just as real and just as deadly…