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A new survey of U.S. adults 50 aged years and older conducted in February by AARP further underscores the value of urgent care’s convenient access for communities. More than 80% of the 1,012 American adults sampled say there is an urgent care in their community, and 48% say they live within 10 minutes of an urgent care center. Another 27% say urgent care is 11-15 minutes away, 17% say it’s 16-30 minutes away, and just 7% say urgent care is more than 30 minutes away. In terms of geography, 79% of those in urban areas have access to urgent care, while 85% in suburban areas and 77% in rural areas say the same. When dividing up the respondents into age groups, those aged 50-64 were more likely (54%) than those aged 65 and older (42%) to say they lived within 10 minutes of an urgent care center.
Less primary care access: Only 31% of those surveyed by AARP say there is a primary care provider within 10 minutes. Most adults surveyed report they can schedule a primary care visit within 2 weeks, yet as many as 21% say they have to wait a month or longer to be seen. Additionally, 19% say they have access to specialty care within 10 minutes, and 71% say a pharmacy is within 10 minutes.
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