Changes with COVID in Barriers to Recovery

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, interviewees cited the biggest barriers to recovery were transportation, access to technology, and lack of resources. Additionally, stigma, legislation, and lack of specialized groups were also factors making recovery increasingly difficult. One interviewee stated that “things are really white. Like, there might be one person of color in the meetings, but everything is really, it's really white.” However race isn’t the only characteristic that sets people apart. Another interviewee mentioned “being almost the youngest kid in the room every time. [a] 20-something year old, coming into a room full of 30/40/50 plus. Just the demographic differences are going to push people away.” 

While in the midst of the pandemic, the biggest barriers shifted to social distancing requirements and being isolated at home. However, transportation was still a large factor and barrier. The lack of social interaction led to loss of accountability among peers in recovery. One interviewee stated that “the meetings that were already few and far between evaporated into Zoom land.” Additionally, not being able to meet in person has affected motivation and personal connection. Interviewees felt like there wasn’t any structure without formal meetings.

One major thing we think about when looking at public health from a geographical standpoint is location and access to healthcare. There are numerous barriers to recovery such as stigma and monetary barriers, but one thing we often overlook is physical access to healthcare and health resources. What this means is that as distance from a location increases, so too does the difficulty of interaction between that place and separate locations. Recently, some of these barriers have been negated with the advent of greater telehealth, but physical access to healthcare is an important barometer of community health, and so analyzing spatial accessibility is important as communities shift and grow. Many interviewees mentioned this and so it is critical we work to mitigate these issues.