Rice M F
Soc Sci Med. 1987;24(11):889-96. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(87)90282-6.
Hospital closures/relocations are occurring with increasing frequency in the United States and these actions are alleged to have adverse consequences for racial-minorities and low-income individuals. This paper through an examination and review of the literature discusses the reasons why hospitals close/relocate, examines the legal issues and questions that have arisen over decisions leading to hospital closures/relocations and discusses the implications of hospital closures/relocations on the health care of inner-city minorities and low-income individuals. The conclusion suggests that for inner-city indigents hospital closure/relocations means only one thing--a decline in hospital care. If the present trend in hospital closures/relocations continues, a few for-profit hospital chains may have the responsibility for determining community health needs based on what services are most profitable and who will be the recipient of these services.
在美国，医院关闭/搬迁的频率越来越高，据称这些行为会给少数族裔和低收入人群带来不利影响。本文通过对文献的审视和回顾，探讨医院关闭/搬迁的原因，研究因导致医院关闭/搬迁的决策而引发的法律问题和疑问，并讨论医院关闭/搬迁对市中心少数族裔和低收入人群医疗保健的影响。结论表明，对于市中心的贫困人口而言，医院关闭/搬迁只意味着一件事——医院护理服务的减少。如果医院关闭/搬迁的当前趋势持续下去，一些营利性连锁医院可能会根据哪些服务最有利可图以及谁将成为这些服务的接受者来决定社区的医疗需求。
