Food Deserts

Exhibit 44: Union Hospital ACSC (PQI) Discharges by Age, 2021

Condition

Asthma in Young Adults Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Community-Acquired Pneumonia Dehydration Diabetes Long-Term Complications Diabetes Short-Term Complications Heart Failure Hypertension Lower Extremity Amputation with Diabetes Uncontrolled Diabetes Urinary Tract Infection

Total Cases

4 14 20 15 26 20 66 5 9 21 11

Source: Analysis of Union Hospital Discharges, 2021.

Description Exhibit 44 provide information based on an analysis of discharges from Union Hospital. The analysis identifies discharges for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs). ACSCs are health “conditions for which good outpatient care can potentially prevent the need for hospitalization or for which early intervention can prevent complications or more severe disease.”16 As such, rates of hospitalization for these conditions can “provide insight into the quality of the health care system outside of the hospital,” including the accessibility and utilization of primary care, preventive care, and health education. These conditions include angina without procedure, diabetes, perforated appendixes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, congestive heart failure, dehydration, bacterial pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and asthma. Disproportionately high rates of discharges for ACSC indicate potential problems with the availability or accessibility of ambulatory care and preventive services and can suggest areas for improvement in the health care system and ways to improve outcomes. Observations

• In 2021, there were approximately 211 ACSC discharges. Most were for heart disease or diabetes-related causes.

Food Deserts

16Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ) Prevention Quality Indicators.

Exhibit 45: Locations of Food Deserts, 2019

Description Exhibit 45 identifies where food deserts are present in the defined Union Hospital community. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service defines urban food deserts as low-income areas more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store, and rural food deserts as more than 10 miles from a supermarket or large grocery store. Many government-led initiatives aim to increase the availability of nutritious and affordable foods to people living in these areas. Observations

• In Cecil County, food deserts are present in Port Deposit and Elkton.

• Approximately 40 percent of Cecil County’s population lives in these census tracts.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2019 and Maptitude, 2021. .