Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University launched the Jefferson Center for Connected Care to reduce disparities in telehealth through research and innovation.
Five notes:
- Jefferson received $922,000 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to distribute smart devices for patients to enable virtual care, according to a Sept. 28 news release. This grant revealed that the digital divide extends beyond access to technology.
- The center is led by Executive Director Kristin Rising, MD, associate professor and director of acute care transitions in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Philadelphia-based Sidney Kimmel Medical College and associate professor in the College of Nursing.
- The center's mission is to minimize the digital divide that can exacerbate existing health inequities. The center will focus on research, innovation and education to overcome barriers to digital access.
- The center has been awarded $250,000 from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to host a spring 2022 conference focused on patient-centered research to mitigate disparities in telehealth.
- The center will also host the Jefferson Telehealth Leadership fellowship and a postdoctoral fellowship that is geared toward addiction, behavioral health, telehealth and primary care.