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UH report higlights medical transportation problems in rural areas

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR
For those on Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, Mokulele Airlines is often the only way to move between the islands.

An ambulance ride or helicopter flight is what we might think of when someone is traveling to a hospital. But the journey to get care and get it covered by insurance can look drastically different depending on where you live.

John Desfor is a co-author of a recent report about rural health in Hawaiʻi. His team at the University of Hawaiʻi Rural Health Research and Policy Center found that barriers to transportation and travel are delaying health care for residents across the islands.

He saw it firsthand once when he was waiting for a delayed flight to Lānaʻi, along with a woman who had just given birth. He learned how a doctor visit can be much more complicated outside of city centers.

Desfor spoke with The Conversation about the report, starting with defining a key term: “non-emergency medical transportation.”


This story aired on The Conversation on July 22, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.

Laura Dux is the 2025 Society of Professional Journalists Summer Intern for The Conversation at HPR. 
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