When I shadowed pediatric neurosurgery at Orlando Health, I was fascinated by the level of expertise a neurosurgeon requires. The knowledge it takes to care for children with complicated medical problems was incredible. But I also started thinking about something else. What happens if a child needs specialized care but can’t get to it? What if it’s too far away, and what if their family can’t afford it?

During the experience, I got to see how different healthcare professionals work together when children have complex health needs. They rounded together and discussed the problems the child had as a team. It made me realize that having a great pediatrician nearby doesn’t solve every problem. Some conditions require specialists, special kind of equipment, and hospitals with very specific expertise.

I live near Orlando, so major hospitals and specialists are relatively close. A family living hours away from a big hospital has a completely different situation. Getting specialized would lead to them having to miss work, drive several hours, find a hotel, arrange childcare for siblings, and pay for all of it. The medical diagnosis might be exactly the same, but the family’s ability to deal with the condition can be completely different.

That’s one reason I’m becoming so interested in health equity. We usually think about whether a treatment exists, but we don’t think about whether the patient actually reach it. The best specialist in the world can’t help a child who has no way of getting to them.