Target Date Research Articles

Circular Plastics Economy: Redesigning Technology and Reimagining Society

The UN Environment Programme has identified plastic waste as one of the urgent challenges of the 21st century and has set 2024 as the target date for the drafting of an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution. While the concern for plastic pollution is justified, a workable solution that considers both the role that plastics play in society and the economy, and the scientific and technological challenges involved, will take a major global effort. The six thermoplastics that are most widely used today were not designed to be recycled. Likewise, over 10,000 chemical additives in plastics were not tested for their health and environmental safety. The complexity of plastic waste makes their effective management very difficult and uneconomic. A new system with two types of plastics is proposed: circular plastics that can be chemically reprocessed, and bio-based plastics that are designed for single-use and are biodegradable. This will require R&D into new plastics, as well as new standards and regulations. At the same time, R&D into the conversion of our current plastic waste into environmentally safe products must be undertaken. These will require a multi-sectoral approach which assigns responsibility to all sectors. Industry should institute extended producer responsibility and develop circular plastics. Society should adopt extended consumer responsibility. Government should replace its single-minded focus on GDP as the sole measure of development with the more holistic UN Sustainable Development Goals. This transition will not happen if it is seen only as a technological challenge. This transition will require a multi-sectoral approach which assigns responsibility to all sectors of society. We will not be able to reimagine plastics if we do not reimagine society.

Making History: The Academy and the White House Conference

The conference was moved forward by a bipartisan group led by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), Sen. Mike Braun (Ind.), Sen. Corey Booker (N.J.) and the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (Ind.). In every session, from speaker after speaker and from conversations I had with other participants, I was so pleased to see a spirit of bipartisanship pervading the conference. It is clear to me that we, the people, can achieve the goals of the conference1The White HouseStatement by White House on National Strategy on Nutrition and Health. 2022.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/27/executive-summary-biden-harris-administration-national-strategy-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/Date accessed: October 23, 2022Google Scholar by the target date of 2030 by working together across party lines. The White House Conference made clear what we Academy members already knew: Hunger has a huge impact on quality of life. Everyone needs to have access to good, healthy food. We cannot overcome this problem in silos; we must work together on everything from the food supply and agriculture to nutrition education of the public – including school meals. It is clear that current levels of reimbursements are not enough, there is not adequate equipment, and there is not enough nutrition education. Every time universal school meals were mentioned at the White House Conference, there was an unbelievable amount of applause from the audience. On the day following the White House Conference, the Academy held an online town meeting to reflect on the conference and update our members on what comes next. I noted the sad fact that the U.S. leads so many nations in cases of chronic disease and that there is a disproportionate number of people from underrepresented groups with preventable chronic conditions. Another takeaway from the White House Conference for me: the need to integrate nutrition and health. We have to connect the path from the doctor’s office to the hospital and to the community. Universal screening for food insecurity is a must: Assess who is the patient/client, what is their level of food security/ insecurity and then connect that prioritize their nutritional health. We can better make connections and serve our customers via increased reimbursement and nutrition counseling for obesity and diet-related diseases. We have been advocating for these services as part of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act; TROA would “amend the Social Security Act to enable the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to enhance beneficiary access to the most qualified existing Medicare providers of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity, resulting in decreased health care costs and lower obesity rates among older adults.”2Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsTreat and reduce obesity act.https://www.eatrightpro.org/-/media/eatrightpro-files/advocacy/legislation/issue-brief-troa2021_final.pdf?la=en&hash=DA1946BD29FA4E09C0CC8ED42DAF8B50CCCA86EDDate accessed: October 25, 2022Google Scholar So many wonderful ideas were presented at the White House Conference, and we already are seeing great things happen. In the weeks immediately following the Conference, I attended two follow-up meetings: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit; and the Industry Collective Commitments in Action conference, sponsored by FMI – The Food Industry Association and Tufts University. And groups of Academy members are coming together to see how they can be actively engaged in meeting the White House Conference’s goals. That is so important, because it is now time to take action. The White House asked national organizations to submit commitments to end hunger and increase healthful eating and physical activity by 2030. I am proud that our Academy has made a number of commitments to get it done:1.The Academy will accelerate efforts to diversify the allied health workforce, including the field of nutrition and dietetics.2.By leveraging the role of nutrition and dietetics professionals within different settings to achieve nutrition security, the Academy will advance efforts to bridge gaps in nutrition services from clinical care to the community.3.The Academy will advance efforts to increase access to healthy school meals for all students. Read much more detail about our commitments on eatrightPRO.org.3Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsAcademy Commitment to End Hunger and Improve Health.https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/white-house-conference-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/academy-commitment-to-end-hunger-and-improve-healthDate accessed: October 25, 2022Google Scholar My fellow members: The ball is in our court, exactly where it should be. I can’t wait to work together with you to achieve the White House Conference’s goals and the Academy’s commitments!

The Doctor of Nursing Practice: A Narrative Review of the History and Current Status

Objective: The objective of this narrative review of Doctor of Nursing Practice implementation is to present the background leading to the 2004 American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommendation that the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree be required for advanced practice, discuss the implementation of programs, identify challenges, and provide recommendations for the future. Method: Both publications and organizational documents, such as white papers and position statements, were reviewed to identify the historical antecedents to the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree recommendation. A review of the status of the degree acceptance by professional organizations was conducted to identify current trends and challenges. Summary: In 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing voted to require the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree for advanced practice providers by 2015. This occurred within a broad initiative within health science disciplines to move to a practice doctorate. The need for the degree was supported by the Institute of Medicine 2002 recommendation for additional competencies in health professions education and the National Research Council 2005 recommendation that nursing create a clinical doctorate. The goal of the Doctor of Nursing Practice by 2015 has not been met, although programs are growing across the country with varying models of education. Currently nurse anesthesia requires the Doctor of Nursing Practice, clinical nurse specialists have a target date for the requirement of the Doctor of Nursing Practice, nurse practitioner recommendations are to move from the master’s level to the Doctor of Nursing Practice, but certification bodies have not required it, and nurse midwives will accept but have not endorsed a requirement for the Doctor of Nursing Practice. Nurse executives have recommended the Doctor of Nursing Practice for advanced leadership, but many health systems do not require it. There are multiple challenges to developing a pathway to the Doctor of Nursing Practice, including the multiple organizations influencing educational programs, the certification and licensure of graduates, and the employment practices by health systems. These challenges will have to be addressed to achieve the original goal of doctoral education for advanced practice in nursing.

Target Date Funds: Current Status and Issues

Target date funds (TDFs) have their portfolios periodically adjusted according to the retirement dates of fund subscribers and are generally composed of several funds. TDFs attract attention in the recent pension market due to the increasing role of private pensions, the concern about the depletion and financial instability of the National Pension Fund, increased interest in stock and fund markets after COVID-19, and the introduction of the retirement pension default option. In particular, target date funds seeking globally diversified investment strategies could change the irrational investment behavior of pension assets that are still mainly invested with principal and interest-guaranteed products and consequent low returns. To this end, this study examines the current status and issues of TDF in the United States and Korea, and proposes ways to develop domestic TDF in the right direction.

Detecting and quantifying methane emissions from oil and gas production: algorithm development with ground-truth calibration based on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

Abstract. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery has been shown by studies to be capable of detecting and quantifying methane emissions from oil and gas production. However, current methods lack performance calibration with ground-truth testing. This study developed a multi-band–multi-pass–multi-comparison-date methane retrieval algorithm that enhances Sentinel-2 sensitivity to methane plumes. The method was calibrated using data from a large-scale controlled-release test in Ehrenberg, Arizona, in fall 2021, with three algorithm parameters tuned based on the true emission rates. Tuned parameters are the pixel-level concentration upper-bound threshold during extreme value removal, the number of comparison dates, and the pixel-level methane concentration percentage threshold when determining the spatial extent of a plume. We found that a low value of the upper-bound threshold during extreme value removal can result in false negatives. A high number of comparison dates helps enhance the algorithm sensitivity to the plumes in the target date, but values in excess of 12 d are neither necessary nor computationally efficient. A high percentage threshold when determining the spatial extent of a plume helps enhance the quantification accuracy, but it may harm the yes/no detection accuracy. We found that there is a trade-off between quantification accuracy and detection accuracy. In a scenario with the highest quantification accuracy, we achieved the lowest quantification error and had zero false-positive detections; however, the algorithm missed three true plumes, which reduced the yes/no detection accuracy. In contrast, all of the true plumes were detected in the highest detection accuracy scenario, but the emission rate quantification had higher errors. We illustrated a two-step method that updates the emission rate estimates in an interim step, which improves quantification accuracy while keeping high yes/no detection accuracy. We also validated the algorithm's ability to detect true positives and true negatives in two application studies.

Residential property evaluation and climate change modelling

Climate change poses a first-order threat to human civilisation and governments across the world, their agencies and big and small corporations have announced climate emergencies and made commitments towards net zero emissions across a range of target dates. Regulators have tasked financial institutions in the insurance and banking sectors to expose their existing portfolios and lending practices to scrutiny as to resilience levels, preparedness and knowledge base relating to property risk level impacts from existing and emerging climate-driven property perils. The scope of these investigations has mobilised a range of consultancies and emerging climate service providers (CSPs) to support regulatory oversight and provide modelling input relative to expertise in a range of environmental issues driven by climate change. The combination of global emission scenarios and general circulation models (GCMs) with existing expertise in modelling real-world problems such as flooding, coastal erosion, storm and subsidence has produced forward-facing forecasts across the natural physical and societal risks. The regulatory results at portfolio levels have necessitated financial institutions scenario planning down to property address levels to assess overall scale of impacts and the possible provisioning requirements against multiple probabilities over decadal horizons out to 2100. These high-level assessments will in the next few years feed directly into valuation and property investigation for origination loans and the cash buyer. CSPs will inevitably seek to monetise a return on their investment in modelling for financial institutions and their unique exposure to portfolio-level provisioning as consultants to these organisations reporting to the regulator. How this data at a property level is interpreted spatially and temporally will be a unique new challenge for chartered surveyors and other property professionals within lending institutions and within the conveyancing sector. This paper looks at the development of portfolio-level climate change reporting, the scientific basis for decisioning and the real risks of assuming that scenario precision produces accurate climate outcomes at the property level. A range of evolving rule sets are proposed for lenders, valuation specialists and conveyancers to ensure reporting is fit for intended purpose.

Optimasi pengelolaan sampah plastik melalui pendekatan edukatif dan pemberdayaan siswa SMP di Kecamatan Bangko Pusako Kabupaten Rokan Hilir

Even in the setting of schools, open burning of rubbish is still frequently practiced. This is in conflict with the government's program connected to the Pollution Control Strategic Plan (2020–2024), which has the goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and the waste management policy (Law No. 18 of 2008). The justification is that the waste cannot be carried to the TPS or TPA, preventing it from building up and having negative effects like pollution. Lack of awareness, bad habits, and the idea that burning trash is simple and inexpensive are the causes. This issue also exists in SMPN 1 and SMPN 5, Bangko Pusako District, where waste is still managed conventionally by burning it all together without sorting it (visually, 40% of the waste is plastic). The quantity of waste in the two schools, as well as the timetable for its transfer to the disposal/burning site, have not been under control. Because the school has not demonstrated any sort of effective waste management, this requirement makes it more difficult for it to meet the target date for applying for SMP with the Adiwiyata predicate (in 2022). It is known from interviews and the findings of research questionnaires that the school is well-versed in the processes and effects of waste management (including plastic waste). Due to the limited infrastructure, expense, time, and governing laws, they have not been able to participate more. Through an educational approach to improving management conditions regarding the nature of the school as an educational area, and by empowering students as the main component of the school, an optimization of plastic waste management strategies at SMPN 1 and SMPN 5 Bangko Pusako was carried out in this study. Understanding is imparted by repeated verbal socialization, inclusion in instructional materials, use as an example in school life, as well as the creation of policies that have been unanimously agreed upon. Each part of the school is expected to reduce the amount of plastic trash produced, sort waste into its appropriate categories before disposal, reuse waste whenever possible to keep it out of the environment's rubbish heaps, and refrain from burning waste. Due to the majority of the debris being given to scavengers and stacked up, the results indicated a decrease in the volume of waste produced and the frequency of burning. The trash's contents may appear more appropriately for each type. Some plastic products have been replaced with other recyclable materials by students and instructors. This method of controlling plastic waste in the school setting is anticipated to serve as a good model for other schools.

Salty and Savoury Snacks Compliance with 2016 and 2019 Sodium Content Targets-Durban Market, South Africa.

South Africans consume a significantly high amount of sodium from salty snacks. The study aimed to evaluate savoury snacks (ready-to-eat savoury snacks, flavoured potato crisps and flavoured ready-to-eat, savoury snacks and potato crisps-salt and vinegar only) for compliance with the June 2016 and 2019 target date for sodium reduction as set out by the Department of Health in Regulation 214. It also looked at low-sodium claims made by the evaluated products. The study's research problem is located at the confluence of three critical trends: increasing consumption of sodium-containing salty snacks, increasing sodium-related disease burden and deaths and attempts to regulate sodium intake through regulation as a response. A total sample of 90 products belonging to the above categories was considered. Sodium content information was collected from the selected product packages. The study also applied the Association of Official Analytical Chemists' (AOAC) official method 984.27 in laboratory tests to verify low-sodium claims on the sampled products. The study showed that out of the 90 selected snacks, 26% of the snacks did not meet their 2019 targets, while 4% did not meet their 2016 targets. Fisher's exact tests showed that no snack category had a better inclination toward meeting 2019 tests than others. The laboratory tests showed that 4.4% of the products made a compliant low-sodium content claim (sodium levels below 120 mg Na/100 g), while one made a non-compliant sodium content claim. Among other things, the study recommended increased product compliance monitoring and evaluation, using standardised, rigorous sodium testing and measuring systems, using more consumer-friendly labels and consumer education on sodium labelling.

Assessment of the market opportunities for hydrogen derived from high temperature reactor driven processes

In the UK, a target date of 2050 for achieving net zero carbon emissions for the whole country has been set in law. It is widely recognized that achieving this will require deep decarbonization along many energy vectors and that hydrogen has a lot of potential to contribute to this effort. A review of markets where hydrogen can contribute to decarbonization has been completed alongside a qualitative analysis of how nuclear driven hydrogen production can provide benefits over other proposed solutions in the UK. Results demonstrated a significant potential for hydrogen generated using High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) technology with both steam electrolysis and thermochemical processes for hydrogen production, particularly for mobility and space heating applications.

ECONOMIC ASPECTS AND LEGAL REGULATIONS OF RECYCLING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The topic of waste management and recycling is becoming very important both in our country andthroughout the world. The goal is to emphasize the importance of the environment, its protection and thepreservation of the world around us. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction. It promotesenvironmental sustainability by removing input raw materials and redirecting waste production into the economicsystem. The question of environmental protection is a question of the future. It is not possible to protect theenvironment if we do not prevent the accumulation of various wastes, the sanctioning of which is constantlypostponed. Urbanization and globalization bring increasing needs of each individual for packaged goods, whichleads to a huge increase in packaging worldwide. The development of industry leads to increased industrial waste.The only way to control waste is recycling treatment. By recycling, in addition to the reduction of waste disposed ofin landfills, we enable re-production, i.e. the use of waste for the re-production of a product. The recycling processhas a huge ecological and economic importance in the system of a country. For a recycling program to work, a large,stable supply of recyclable materials is essential. High-quality recycling can support economic growth bymaximizing the value of waste materials. Three legal options have been used to create such stockpiles: compulsorycollection of recycling, a law on depositing containers and a ban on waste. Compulsory collection laws set recyclingtargets for cities, so a percentage of the material must be diverted from the city's waste stream by a target date. Thecity is responsible for working towards this goal. Recyclable quality not only supports high-quality recycling but canalso bring significant environmental benefits by reducing, reusing and keeping products out of landfills. Anytreatment that is planned to be used in the recycling process must be justified by legal regulations. The keyinstitutional responsibility in the field of waste management lies with the Ministry of Environmental Protection ofthe Republic of Serbia, which, in accordance with the Law on Ministries, performs state administration tasks relatedto: waste management, including hazardous waste, except for radioactive waste; approval of cross-border transportof waste, as well as other tasks specified by law. The paper presents the principle of municipal waste management inthe Republic of Serbia. By reviewing data from abroad, the goals that the Republic of Serbia strives to achieve inthis matter are analyzed, as well as the legal frameworks that regulate the achievement of those goals. The analysisincludes the recycling process itself, its flows, as well as waste management treatments. Concrete ecological andeconomic aspects of recycling that affect life and work in the Republic of Serbia are presented.

Target Date Funds, Drawdown Risk, and Central Bank Intervention: Evidence during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Target Date Funds (TDFs) have become the default investment choice in retirement accounts for most households. Later-dated TDFs (e.g., further away from the present day) allocate a more significant percentage of each dollar invested into equities relative to fixed income. As the TDF moves closer to the designated retirement date, the TDF embarks on its’ glide path. We study the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Federal Reserve intervention on the max drawdowns experienced by TDFs during 2020. Later-dated funds experienced more significant drawdowns relative to near-dated funds. Moving out one target date fund increased the drawdown by approximately 1.90%. Approximately 80% of TDFs experienced their max drawdown on 23 March 2020. The max drawdowns of the TDFs are then studied in the following three sub-periods: (1) before the first Federal Reserve Intervention (2 March 2020), (2) after the first intervention and before the second intervention (16 March 2020), and (3) the period after the second intervention. TDFs experienced the greatest drawdowns after the first intervention by the Federal Reserve (approximately 19%) relative to the other two periods (approximately 7%). Fees associated with the TDFs tend not to influence the drawdowns except for the near-dated funds, where the low-fee funds performed better. Finally, near-dated funds recovered from their max drawdowns around September 2020, whereas later-dated funds did not fully recover until December 2020.

Probabilistic Approach Guides Field Development Plan in Niger Delta

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 207146, “Conceptual Field Development Plan for X Field,” by Khadijah Ibrahim, SPE, Petrus Nzerem, and Ayuba Salihu, SPE, Nile University of Nigeria, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ The development plan of a new oil field discovered in a remote offshore environment in the Niger Delta was evaluated. Because the oil in place was uncertain, a probabilistic approach was used to estimate the stock-tank oil originally in place (STOOIP) using low, base, and high cases. The base model is recommended for further implementation. The quantity of oil produced is estimated at 15,000 STB/D, which will require a separator that has the capacity of holding a liquid rate of approximately 20,000 STB/D. The authors find that this developmental plan is cost-effective. Introduction Field X is offshore Nigeria in water depths of 330 ft. The field has an uncertain oil in place, with a possibility of low, base, and high cases. The field reservoir information is available from the exploration and seismic well data provided. The field size (i.e., STOOIP) is estimated at 95 million (low), 145 million (base), and 300 million (high) STB, with an irreducible water saturation of 22%. The reservoir depth is 7,400 ft true vertical depth subsea (TVDSS), with a net pay thickness of 45 ft. The aquifer supporting the reservoir has a strength of 9, with a permeability of 200 md and a porosity of 18%. Generally, the reservoir has permeability and compressibility of the rock formation obtained from the log results of 250 md and 3.5×10–6 psi–1. The reservoir pressure is measured to be 3,400 psia. The field development plan will incorporate production forecasts from the target date of first production, 1 January 2023, through 1 January 2038, for a 15-year field life. The complete paper presents the field development strategies and economic analysis of different well models to evaluate the most-efficient modeling profile for the new field. Methodology Well-Modeling Profile and Performance Analysis. It is assumed that the field will be produced using a platform with a wellhead reference depth of 20 ft above the rotary kelly bushing. The well is assumed to be a vertical well with no deviation. The skin value is estimated to be 1, thereby having a slight effect on the productivity index. Pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) data were available for the oil in place. Using commercial software, the fluid parameters for bubblepoint pressure, oil volume factor, and oil viscosity were matched in the PVT analysis at a reservoir temperature of 170°F and a pressure of 3,400 psia. The measurements of formation volume factor, gas/oil ratio, and oil viscosity at this pressure were used to provide a single match point for the generation of PVT data.

Managerial commitment and heterogeneity in target-date funds

How a portfolio manager allocates own investment in a target date fund (TDF) series is informative about managerial commitment to the TDF investment principle. We find that TDFs whose managers choose to have positive ownership are associated with less idiosyncratic risk taking. In addition, TDFs with managers investing in remote funds and diversifying across TDFs exhibit high idiosyncratic risk taking. Overall, managerial commitment helps explain TDF heterogeneity; the impact of managerial discretion on fund investment strategies demonstrates externalities to 401(k) participants using TDFs as their default option.

India’s Strategy for Achieving Net Zero

This paper reviews and assesses India’s energy policy in the context of its commitment to achieve the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. It emphasizes the central role of green electrification, particularly through the expansion of solar power capacity. It discusses policies outside the energy sector that need to be part of a strategy of achieving this target, including the use of information technology, infrastructure development, and transportation. Furthermore, it examines possible policy options for accelerating the target date to 2050, especially with the use of carbon capture to manage the transition from the current heavy use of coal. The paper also discusses the possible financial and growth implications of various strategy options, arguing that feasible external financing commitments can allow India to achieve net-zero goals without sacrificing economic growth.

The closer we get, the better we are?

AbstractNot always. A general requirement in models of expectations formation is that forecast accuracy should improve when getting closer to the target date. We apply a multi‐horizon bootstrap test to a unique Israeli survey of firm‐level inflation forecasts, which encompasses periods of three digits annual rates, and periods of moderate and low inflation. We find that improvements in forecast accuracy were significant during high and moderate inflation periods, but not in the low‐inflation environment. The results are in line with rational inattention, induced by a decline in inflation predictability. Further support is provided by evidence from the US SPF survey.

Creating healthy hospital retail food environments: Multiple pathways to successful at scale policy implementation in Australia.

In 2017, the Australian state of New South Wales introduced a revised policy to provide a healthy food and drink environment for staff and visitors in the state's publicly funded health facilities. We sought to understand how contextual factors, intervention features and the responses of diverse stakeholders affected the policy's implementation in public hospitals. Ninety-nine interviews were conducted with chief executives, implementers and retailers in the health and food retail systems after the target date for the implementation of 13 initial policy practices. Stakeholder responses were analysed to understand commitment to, engagement with and achievement of these practices and the different contexts and implementation approaches that prompted these responses. Key mechanisms that drove systemic change included stakeholders' broad acceptance of the policy premise; stakeholders' sense of accountability and desire for the policy to succeed; and the policy's perceived benefits, feasibility and effectiveness. Important underpinning factors were chief executives' commitment to implementation and monitoring, a flexible approach to locally tailored implementation and historical precedents. This study provides policy and practice insights for the initial phase of state-wide implementation to achieve change in health facility food retail environments.

A lifetime allocation with human capital: implications for target date fund

A lifetime allocation with human capital: implications for target date fund

Med Check: Psilocybin for OCD, Nuplazid Vote, and More

Med Check: Psilocybin for OCD, Nuplazid Vote, and More

A Central Bank Digital Currency For India?


 
 
 
 We review arguments for CBDC issuance in India. These include facilitating payments, enhancing financial inclusion, enabling the central bank and government to retain control of the payments system, facilitating cross-border transactions, reducing dependence on the dollar-dominated global payments system, and providing an encompassing platform for digital financial innovation. We then compare progress in India with other countries. In setting an end-2022 target date for issuance, India is in line with the other BRICS, but not with other countries with comparable levels of per capita GDP, which have been more reluctant to commit to a date. Nor is it in line with other countries with comparably independent central banks, which have been more cautious about setting a deadline. Finally, we sketch a roadmap and timeline for India’s CBDC project going forward.
 
 
 

Identifying Hospital Deserts in Texas Before and During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

In this study, we proposed a GIS-based approach to analyzing hospital visitors from January to June 2019 and January to June 2020 with the goal of revealing significant changes in the visitor demographics. The target dates were chosen to observe the effect of the first wave of COVID-19 on the visitor count in hospitals. The results indicated that American Indian and Pacific Islander groups were the only ones that sometimes showed no shift in visitor levels between the studied years. For 19 of the 28 hospitals in Austin, TX, the average distance traveled to those hospitals from home increased in 2020 compared with 2019. A hospital desert index was devised to identify the areas in which the demand for hospitals is greater than the current hospital supply. The hospital desert index considers the travel time, location, bed supply, and population. The cities located along the outskirts of metropolitan regions and rural towns showed more hospital deserts than dense city centers.