Carmen Silva: Analyzing Accessible Health Services and Income Related to Maternal Mortality Rates in Puerto Rico From 2002 to 2004
Carmen is a geographer, cartographer, and Geographic Information Science specialist. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Akron, Ohio. She is currently working at the Puerto Rico State Election Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and she is also a member of the Association of American Geographers.
The goal of this study is to establish a relationship between maternal mortality rates and accessibility to hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms. The purpose of this study is to determine if the accessibility to health services and income contributed to maternal mortality rates from 2002 to 2004 in Puerto Rico.
Study Area
Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean Region. The absolute location, or geographic coordinates, of Puerto Rico are 18° 29′ 0″ N, 66° 8′ 0″ W. All health services in Puerto Rico are located within eight different health regions delineated by the Puerto Rico Health Department. Each health region is required to have one or more hospitals with the necessary equipment to attend to most emergencies. As a last resource, the regional hospitals can transfer patients to “Centro Médico,” located in the Metro Health District Area. Critical resources such as doctors, specialists, and nurses are more prevalent in the Metro Health Area.
