Broadband Health Technology and the Underserved – Why We Should Care

For many of us, broadband and high speed wireless communication are now part of everyday life. Yet many still lack even basic access to the internet through broadband. And the impact on health and healthcare is what the Federal Communications Commission wanted to highlight by hosting roundtables in Cleveland (OH) and Detroit (MI) during the week of Oct 26.

The invited presentations meant FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn and her staff could learn more about what was happening in the revival of this industrial city and who was still left behind. The discussion began with a presentation on two parallel initiatives in Cleveland to expand the availability of broadband and add health technology job development. One Community is a non-profit broadband provider that connects major institutions throughout the community, including hospitals, universities, and also, the Health-Tech Corridor with office space for startup tech businesses. The roundtable concluded with presentations by some of the winners from the Cleveland Medical Hackathon. These apps show creative approaches to address health problems in underserved communities. Why should we expand broadband as a resource to all? One of the primary incentives in healthcare is population health. If provider organizations want to reach out to patients in the community using mobile devices, the patient homes need broadband access or these initiatives will fail.