Bridging the Digital Health Divide: Connectivity Solutions for Underserved Communities
Madison Genthry 
Why do millions of Americans still struggle to access basic healthcare online?
Unequal access to healthcare via telehealth and digital tools is one of the biggest healthcare access barriers keeping underserved communities from receiving care. Despite progress in nearly every other industry… Millions of people are getting left behind.
Here’s the issue:
Broadband gaps, device deficiencies and low digital literacy run rampant in rural and low-income communities. And that’s before you layer on the provider shortage caused by hospital closures.
If you can’t connect, digital health isn’t an option.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Proven solutions exist that are expanding connectivity to underserved areas right now. From telehealth infrastructure to mobile medical vehicles for rural healthcare, communities are overcoming these healthcare access barriers and delivering care to patients who need it most.
Here’s what you need to know:
What you’ll learn:
- The State of the Digital Divide
- The Providers Can’t (Yet) Fix
- 5 Connectivity Solutions That Work
- Closing the Healthcare Access Gap
The State of The Digital Divide
The digital health divide isn’t simply poor internet speeds. It’s not being able to access a doctor when you need one.
Break down telehealth into its simplest form: A way to connect with providers.
If you’re in an area that lacks broadband service… Doesn’t have the devices required… or just plain lacks the know-how to use digital health tools. You’re not able to connect with that provider.
Keeping that in mind, let’s look at just how big of a problem this really is.
COVID caused telehealth visits to spike nationwide. But for many rural and low-income communities, virtual care just isn’t an option. The FCC’s Broadband Deployment Report found that 22.3% of rural Americans don’t have access to fixed broadband service. Compare that to just 1.5% of urban communities who lack service.
Not having broadband is only one barrier to access. Close to 700 hospitals have closed their doors since 2010. The majority of those were in rural communities. And these hospital closures are especially prevalent in states like Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.
Here’s the reality for rural residents who live in these areas.
When a hospital closes down, they must travel greater than 20 miles to access the same level of inpatient care. If they need specialized services not provided by their local clinics, that distance can exceed 40 miles.
That leaves rural residents with two options:
Forego care until they’re absolutely desperate. Or spend hours travelling to see a provider.
Neither of those are acceptable solutions.
The Providers Can’t (Yet) Fix
Access to healthcare doesn’t suffer from just a single barrier. They stack on top of one another.
For rural Americans living in areas with provider shortages, those barriers are exponential.
Check this stat out:
- Lack of broadband: Without broadband service, telehealth and patient portals aren’t an option.
- Lack of devices: Families with low income likely don’t have access to the laptops/tablets needed for video visits.
- Lack of digital literacy: Many who DO have access to technology don’t know how to navigate the platforms.
- Provider shortages: Doctors are already outnumbered. Rural areas have 39.8 physicians per 100,000 people compared to urban areas who have 53.3. Nearly 77% of rural communities are federally designated as health professional shortage areas.
On top of that…
Certain demographics are more affected by the digital divide than others. The elderly, low-income families, and Americans living in poverty are often grouped into the same communities.
Income level, education and digital literacy are the strongest predictors of whether or not someone can utilize digital health resources.
Which means you need a multi-faceted approach when it comes to closing the digital divide. You have to tackle every single barrier to access at once.
5 Connectivity Solutions That Work
All that being said… How do you actually start closing this gap?
Kicking off with solutions that address the infrastructure side of things. Here are four ways to start expanding connectivity to underserved areas.
Broadband Infrastructure
This one has already been covered, but it’s too important not to lead with.
Unless you have broadband service, you can’t do anything else. Period.
That’s why federal initiatives like the BEAD programme are pumping billions of dollars into expanding broadband infrastructure to underserved communities. Programs like WiFi from satellites and even 5G fixed wireless access are starting to bridge the gap where traditional providers can’t reach.
Broadband internet is the foundation.
Mobile Health Solutions
In some cases, communities don’t need a hospital. They just need care to come to them.
Mobile health units are exactly that. Sporting their own Wifi and medical equipment these clinics travel to underserved communities and deliver care straight to their front door.
Imagine being able to walk into a mobile clinic and walk out with diabetes screenings, vaccines, clinic follow-ups… ALL from the same place.
These mobile units are perfect for communities where hospitals have shut their doors, creating geography-based access to healthcare gaps.
Community Telehealth Hubs
Need connectivity AND access? Community Telehealth hubs may be the answer.
Set up in public spaces like libraries, schools and community centers these hubs allow residents to access digital health tools. Many of these locations provide access to the internet and devices as well. As well as staff to walk patients through virtual appointments.
It’s a win-win.
Patients who wouldn’t normally have the ability to see specialists are now able to do just that. And communities have access to a resource that doesn’t require them to fund an entire hospital.
Digital Literacy Programmes
But what about the residents who DO have access to technology, but lack the skills to use it?
That’s where community-based digital literacy programmes come into play.
They teach patients how to access patient portals, schedule telehealth visits and message their doctors online. These programmes work best when implemented by community-based organisations who understand the needs of their residents.
Pro-tip: meet people where they are. Everyone is at a different level of digital healthcare comfort. Literacy programs shouldn’t assume everyone knows these skills outright.
Device Access
Last but certainly not least… Patients need devices.
Devices like laptops and tablets to access the internet. Programs like Lifeline give you discounted internet and devices if you’re below a certain income level. The problem is participation is low. A lot of qualifying households are unaware of their ability to enroll.
Make sure folks have the devices to take advantage of new technology.
Closing the Healthcare Access Gap
So you want to start implementing solutions to help bridge the healthcare access gap? Here are some ideas on where to get started.
- Conduct a community assessment. Figure out where your gaps in broadband, devices and digital literacy lie.
- Partner with your local library and schools. Libraries often have the infrastructure you need to start creating telehealth hubs. Same goes for many schools.
- Let your legislators know broadband expansion is important to you. The more people who reach out to their federal and state legislators, the more likely funding will be allocated to rural broadband expansion.
- Start mobile where you can. If you have access to mobile clinics, use them to serve communities with the highest need.
- Offer digital literacy training through community organizations. A coordinated effort to train residents on how to use digital health will only benefit your efforts.
Remember, households still have to choose which provider to use based on factors like distance. Meeting patients where they’re at is just good care.
Wrapping Up
Access to healthcare is one of the most prominent healthcare access barriers facing rural and low-income communities today. Broadband gaps, hospital closures and provider shortages have created an access to healthcare gap that millions are struggling to climb over.
But you can start fixing it. Right now.
Across the country, communities are implementing the solutions mentioned above to help provide care to patients who need it most. By layering on multiple solutions at once, you can start narrowing that gap and providing better care to the communities who need it most.
Before you go, here’s your tl;dr
- Providers can’t solve the digital divide by themselves
- Lack of broadband, devices, and digital skills creates a laundry list of barriers to access
- Building broadband infrastructure is key to any connectivity solution
- Mobile health clinics and community telehealth hubs are great for providing care to rural areas
- Digital literacy programmes and device access should be a part of every solution
The gap is there. The solutions exist. Now it’s time to put them to work.
