Millions of Americans Will Soon Lose Internet Access. That’s a Disaster for Rural Health.

Access to Internet and Telehealth in Rural Communities

Introduction

On New Year’s Eve 2021, the federal government launched the Affordable Connectivity Program, a program aimed at providing internet access to American households. This initiative has successfully helped over 20 million households afford internet access through monthly subsidies. However, funding for the program is set to run out in April, potentially leaving many homes without vital resources, particularly access to online telehealth.

Rural Internet Access Challenges

• Rural communities face greater challenges in accessing the internet compared to suburban and urban areas.
• Approximately 25 percent of people in rural areas consider internet access a major issue.

The Importance of Telehealth in Rural Areas

• Rural areas also suffer from shortages of local doctors, making telehealth services crucial for healthcare delivery.
• Telehealth has been proven effective in managing chronic health conditions such as stroke rehabilitation and diabetes care.

Impact of Internet Access Cuts on Healthcare Disparities

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services became more widely used, providing increased access to virtual appointments. However, cuts to internet access could exacerbate existing healthcare disparities.

The Concerns of Disability Advocates

Katy Schmid, a senior director at The Arc, an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, expressed concerns about the impact of ending the Affordable Connectivity Program on disabled patients. Many individuals with disabilities rely on telehealth, especially those in rural areas who are unable to drive.

Telehealth as a Health Equity Issue

Telehealth has become an indispensable component of healthcare delivery. When certain populations are excluded from accessing telehealth services, it becomes a health equity issue.

Benefits of Telehealth in Remote Areas

For individuals living far from healthcare clinics or specialists, telehealth appointments can be the only timely way to see a doctor. Academic medical centers tend to have more specialists, which creates specialty shortages in other areas.

Broadband Gaps and Audio-Only Visits

Despite the Affordable Connectivity Program, broadband gaps still exist. In Vermont, a largely rural state, nearly a fifth of telemedicine visits are audio-only due to technology barriers, including broadband limitations.

Unstable Internet Access and Healthcare Impacts

Unstable internet access has various impacts on healthcare. Patients need reasonable internet access to use secure means of sharing health information, such as patient portals. Additionally, more funding is needed to support healthcare providers in conducting home visits in rural areas.

Building Telehealth Equity

Expanding access to the internet is essential for building telehealth equity. It ensures equal opportunities for individuals to receive care via telehealth, regardless of their social, economic, or geographic circumstances.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
   • Indicator 3.8.1: Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population).

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020.
   • Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and disability.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.
   • Indicator 17.6.1: Number of science and/or technology cooperation agreements and programmes between countries, by type of cooperation.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the article’s content, the specific targets identified are:

   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
   • Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020.
   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article

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   Source: motherjones.com

    

   

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