The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of high-speed internet and computer/smartphone access, and their emergence as key social drivers of health. Access to the internet has become a need in today’s digital society linking many to essential resources, such as jobs, school, health care, food, and transportation among other socioeconomic needs. The “Digital Divide” can be defined as the gap between those who have access to technologies and the digital literacy to use them, and those who don’t. In health care, the digital divide can lead to disparities in patient portal adoption, telehealth access, or the ability to utilize other patient engagement tools.

This webinar is a follow-up to the previous webinar held in April 2022, in which CCALAC shared a Digital Divide Toolkit and Assessment to assist community health centers with connecting patients to the resources they may need. Now that the toolkit and assessment have been implemented in health centers for a year, we will be sharing best practices and lessons learned from our cohort’s experience, as well as updates to newly available resources! Please join us as we continue to explore options for addressing the Digital Divide!

At the end of the training, participants will:

• Learn how to continue addressing the Digital Divide once the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is declared over, including support from local and state resources for patients/health centers.
• Understand how some patients were affected by the Digital Divide and the steps that were taken to address their population’s specific needs.
• Learn about new and existing resources that are free and/or discounted for device and high-speed internet distribution throughout LA County and the state of California.

Presented by Rachel Proud, MPH, Associate Director of Practice Transformation Services, CMA Physician Services Organization (CMA PSO).

Register Now!

Complimentary for CCALAC Members & Affiliates. 

Instructor Biography:

Rachel Proud has over ten years of experience working with community health centers, private practices, and hospitals to improve patient experience, clinical quality measures, and improve operational efficiency.

As the Associate Director of Practice Transformation, Rachel manages the practice transformation work and team to meet client goals and objectives and is responsible for multiple ongoing projects. Ms. Proud has expansive field experience, working with over 30 different health centers and small practices in Los Angeles County.

She has a strong track record of achieving quality improvement, utilization management, and transformational results for the organizations she has supported. She also leads efforts to optimize EHR use and data reporting, engage patients and families, optimize transitions to community care settings after acute hospitalization, increase the frequency of medication reconciliation, and improve patient medication education and management in all care settings.

Prior to her work with the CMA PSO, Ms. Proud worked as a Senior Managing Consultant for a Southern California-based consulting firm. She has also worked directly with families and patients as an intake patient advocate at Mission Hospital providing eligibility screening and enrollment support for multiple different health insurance plans. Ms. Proud holds an MPH with a focus on public health policy from the University of Southern California.