Cardiovascular Deserts in rural and metropolitan communities

Written By lee kirksey

Cardiovascular Deserts: When Where You Live Affects Your Heart Health

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Yet for millions of Americans, the biggest risk factor is not just cholesterol, blood pressure, or diabetes—it is where they live.

Researchers, including teams from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have described a growing problem known as cardiovascular deserts. These are areas where people have limited or no access to timely, high-quality cardiovascular care. Just as food deserts limit access to healthy nutrition, cardiovascular deserts limit access to heart health.

What Is a Cardiovascular Desert?

A cardiovascular desert is a community where people face barriers to:

  • Early diagnosis of heart disease

  • Specialty care, such as cardiology or vascular services

  • Preventive screening, like blood pressure checks or cholesterol testing

  • Evidence-based treatment, including medications and procedures

These deserts are not limited to one type of place. They exist in rural communities, urban neighborhoods, and even within large metropolitan areas.

Cardiovascular Deserts Are Not Just Rural

Many people assume cardiovascular deserts only exist in rural America. While rural areas are heavily affected, research shows that urban cardiovascular deserts are common, especially in communities facing:

  • Long travel times to specialty care

  • Hospital closures or service cutbacks

  • Shortages of cardiologists, vascular specialists, or primary care providers

  • High poverty rates and underinsurance

In large cities, two neighborhoods just miles apart can have dramatically different heart disease outcomes, including rates of heart attack, stroke, and limb amputation.

Why Cardiovascular Deserts Matter

Living in a cardiovascular desert increases the risk of:

  • Late diagnosis of heart disease

  • Poor control of risk factors like hypertension and diabetes

  • Higher rates of emergency hospitalizations

  • Preventable heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and amputations

These outcomes are not inevitable. They are often the result of system gaps, not patient behavior.

What Creates a Cardiovascular Desert?

Several factors work together:

  • Provider shortages, especially specialists

  • Distance and transportation barriers

  • Limited health literacy and awareness

  • Fragmented care systems

  • Lack of broadband access, limiting modern healthcare delivery

When these factors overlap, entire communities are left behind.

Solutions: Turning Deserts Into Connected Communities

The good news is that cardiovascular deserts are fixable.

1. Broadband Expansion and Telehealth

Reliable broadband access allows patients to:

  • See cardiologists and vascular specialists remotely

  • Monitor blood pressure and heart rate at home

  • Receive medication counseling and follow-up care

For rural and underserved urban communities, telehealth can shrink distance overnight.

2. Peer-to-Peer Education for Frontline Providers

Primary care clinicians, nurses, and community health workers are often the first point of contact. Supporting them with:

  • Simple screening tools

  • Clear referral pathways

  • Ongoing peer education

can dramatically improve early detection of heart disease.

3. Community-Based Awareness Programs

Education works best when it is:

  • Local

  • Culturally relevant

  • Delivered in trusted spaces

Churches, barbershops, senior centers, and community events can all become front doors to heart health.

4. Data-Driven Health System Partnerships

Healthcare systems, policymakers, and industry partners can work together to:

  • Identify cardiovascular deserts using data

  • Align resources with community need

  • Measure outcomes that matter to patients

A Call to Action

Cardiovascular deserts remind us of a simple truth: access is prevention.

If we want to reduce heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death, we must look beyond the hospital walls and address the geography of care. By expanding broadband, supporting frontline providers, and empowering communities with knowledge, we can transform cardiovascular deserts into networks of opportunity and health.

Heart health should not depend on a ZIP code.

lee kirksey