Hundreds of Troops and Families in Military Health Care Deserts: NPR Analysis Reveals Alarming Findings

A recent analysis by National Public Radio (NPR) found that half of US military installations are located in “health care deserts,” areas where access to medical services off-base is limited. The NPR analysis also revealed that three out of four bases in primary care deserts are also in either a mental health care desert, a maternity care desert, or both. This means that hundreds of troops and their families living in barracks may face challenges accessing proper mental health care and maternal care.

Approximately 200 military bases are situated within federally-designated health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas, with one in three US troops and their families living in these primary health care deserts. Eileen Huck of the National Military Family Association emphasized the importance of ensuring proper health care access on all military bases, especially since active-duty members and their families do not have a choice in where they are stationed.

The assessment was based on the lists of mental health care shortage areas and maternity care shortage areas produced by the Health Resources and Services Administration and the March of Dimes, respectively. The analysis covered military bases in the US, Puerto Rico, and Guam with a facility replacement value of at least $10 million and larger than 10 acres, excluding the US National Guard.