Equity in Stochastic Healthcare Facility Location

Abstract

We consider issues of equity in stochastic facility location models for healthcare applications. We explore how uncertainty exacerbates inequity and examine several equity measures that can be used for stochastic healthcare location modeling. We analyze the limited literature on this subject and highlight areas of opportunity for developing tractable, reliable, and data-driven approaches that might be applicable within and outside healthcare operations. Our primary focus is on exploring various ways to model uncertainty, equity, and facility location, including modeling aspects (e.g., tractability and accuracy) and outcomes (e.g., equity/fairness/access performance metrics vs. traditional metrics like cost and service levels).