A Texas State of Mind: Connected Health in Houston and the Rio Grande Valley

[Commentary] "Texas is a state of mind,” said John Steinbeck referring to the unique combination of passion, cohesiveness and independence so common to the state. The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2HealthFCC Task Force experienced this first-hand during its recent “Beyond the Beltway” visit to Houston (TX) and the Rio Grande Valley. In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, the visit was anchored by a Broadband Prescriptions for Mental Health conference co-hosted by the renowned University of Houston Law Center’s Health Law and Policy Institute, with the Law Center’s esteemed Dean, Leonard M. Baynes. Three notable themes that could inform our policymaking emerged from the conference:

The need for a continuing and accelerated focus on broadband access and adoption in health, lest entire communities be left behind.
The critical role of telehealth and broadband connectivity in meeting acute mental health provider shortages in Texas and nationwide.
The use of connectivity as an integral part of personalizing mental and behavioral health therapy itself, an idea that is spawning innovations that go far beyond simply virtualizing exist.

[P. Michele Ellison is the Chair of the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force and Deputy General Counsel. Dr. Yahya Shaikh is Senior Advisor for Connected Health, C2HFCC]