Lower family incomes and a smaller tax base in rural areas make it more difficult for communities to maintain a high level of health and medical services. Nearly 50 percent, or 33 of 67 Florida counties, are classified as rural.

Families living in rural areas have greater difficulty accessing medical services and specialists for emergencies. Families who have children with special health care needs must often drive long distances on a regular basis to obtain needed services. Dearwater (2002) found that Florida residents living in rural counties, in 2000, had significantly higher rates of injury mortality. Similarly, the highest rates of overall and unintentional injury hospitalization were among rural residents. Furthermore, rural/non-rural injury discrepancies are magnified among children age 1 to 14 years. Florida children living in rural counties had injury mortality rates almost two times higher than children living in non-rural counties and injury hospitalization rates 29 percent higher than non-rural children.