Communications technology-enabled solutions that can play an important role in the transformation of healthcare. Media coverage of health issues. And the impact of various media on health.
Health and Media
Turning Barbershops into Telehealth Centers
In urban neighborhoods, where Internet service and health care can be hard to access, a novel pilot project uses local barbershops and salons as wireless hubs and hypertension screening centers.
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FCC Proposes 988 for Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Hotline
The Federal Communications Commission started the process of designating 988 as a new, nationwide, 3-digit number for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. This designation will help ease access to crisis services, reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health conditions, and ultimately save lives.
The Connected Health Initiative is closing out the year with an exciting event focused on the future of health technology.
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Many Pregnant Women Live Too Far From a Doctor to Get Regular Care. Here's How Technology Can Help
For anyone who is pregnant, having a hospital delivery room nearby means knowing that when the baby arrives medical assistance will be close at hand. But for too many of those in rural America, this comfort is often no longer available—and it is putting both women and babies at risk. In fact, the United States is the only industrialized nation with an increasing rate of maternal mortality and this problem hits women of color especially hard. The Federal Communications Commission has a long history of working to promote access to telehealth in rural communities.
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A Small Number, A Big Difference
The last Federal Communications Commission meeting of 2019, on December 12, features more than one item that could receive top billing in an ordinary month. The FCC will consider:
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USDA Invests in the Expansion of Rural Education and Health Care Access
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing the funding through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. These investments will benefit 5.4 million rural residents. Projects include:
FCC Telehealth Barriers Report: Almost Half of US Counties Face “Double Burden”
Almost half of US counties face a “double burden” of chronic disease and a need for greater broadband connectivity, according to a new report filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The report comes from an advisory committee that was set up to identify barriers to telehealth and recommend solutions. The majority of “double burden” areas fall into what the report calls “clusters” of five or more counties with total populations exceeding 100,000.
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SHLB Petitions FCC to Reconsider Rural Health Care Order
The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider certain portions of its “Promoting Telehealth in Rural America” Report and Order (R&O).
Google’s Secret ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans
Google is teaming with one of the country’s largest health-care systems on a secret project to collect and crunch the detailed personal health information of millions of Americans across 21 states. The initiative, code-named “Project Nightingale,” appears to be the largest in a series of efforts by Silicon Valley giants to gain access to personal health data and establish a toehold in the massive health-care industry. Google launched the effort in 2018 with Ascension, the country’s second-largest health system.
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FCC Issues Advisory Committee Public Safety and Telehealth Reports
The Federal Communications Commission released four reports from its Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC). The reports aim to assist state, local, Tribal, and territorial officials and other stakeholders by offering recommendations and best practices to improve emergency alerting, bolster communications reliability during disasters, and promote the use of telemedicine: