Figure 1.

Relationship of measures of poverty and emergency department utilization for specific disorders. Statistics are kept for local health authorities (LHA), 2 of which are depicted in the figure. Emergency department visits are illustrated for the St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH, “H”) in the center of the northern part of LHA 161. This hospital serves the northern part of LHA 161 and LHA 162; a different hospital is closer to the southern part of LHA 161. The ring in LHA 162 delineates the area of recruitment where 95% of participants in the Hotel Study lived. The distribution of measures of poverty includes (A) the median after-tax income assessed in the National Household Survey (NHS) in 2011, (B) dwellings in disrepair, and (C) the percentage of subsidized housing. The distribution of people seeking emergency department care (per 100 living in a census dissemination area) includes (D) neurological disorder visits, (E) substance misuse visits, and (F) mental health related visits, with an insert map placing the region within the lower mainland area of British Columbia.