The changing landscape of hospital capacity in large cities and suburbs: implications for the safety net in metropolitan America.

An analysis of trends in hospital use and capacity by ownership status and community poverty levels for large urban and suburban areas was undertaken to examine changes that may have important implications for the future of the hospital safety net in large metropolitan areas. Using data on general acute care hospitals located in the 100 largest cities and their suburbs for the years 1996, 1999, and 2002, we examined a number of measures of use and capacity, including staffed beds, admissions, outpatient and emergency department visits, trauma centers, and positron emission tomography scanners. Over the 6-year period, the number of for-profit, nonprofit, and public hospitals declined in both cities and suburbs, with public hospitals showing the largest percentage of decreases.

Measuring progress in meeting healthy people goals for low birth weight and infant mortality among the 100 largest cities and their suburbs.

We examined the progress of the nation's 100 largest cities and their surrounding suburban areas toward achieving Healthy People 2000/2010 goals for two measures of infant health: low birth weight (LBW) and infant mortality (IM). Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, we compared 1990 and 2000 urban and suburban LBW and IM rates to target rates for Healthy People 2000 and 2010 objectives. Although the 2000 LBW weight rate for the 100 largest cities was higher than the average for the suburbs (8.

The relationship of residential instability to medical care utilization among poor mothers in New York City.

Objectives: This study examines the relationship between residential instability, including mobility and previous homelessness, and the use of medical care among previously sheltered and never-sheltered mothers in New York City. The study represents one of the first efforts to follow up on families after they are no longer homeless.

Methods: Mothers from 543 welfare families in New York City were interviewed, once in 1988 (Time 1) and again beginning in 1992 (Time 2).