Location Models for Preventive Care

Abstract

Health conditions are much easier to prevent than to treat, and recovery is often more likely if an illness is diagnosed at an early stage. The substantial savings in the costs of diagnosis and therapy as well as the relatively lower capital investment associated with preventive care programs have been recognized for a long time. Preventive care programs can save lives and contribute to a better quality of life by reducing the needs for radical treatments. For example, there is evidence that mammograms taken on a regular basis have the potential to reduce deaths from breast cancer for women between the ages of 50 and 69 by up to 40 %.