Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka USD 501, and Shannon Portillo, associate dean and professor at the University of Kansas, served as co-chairs of the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice; David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, chaired the subcommittee on health care.

Dependable internet access is not an amenity — it’s essential for accessing services today, including health care, work and school. In Kansas, a digital divide separates the “haves” from the “have nots” in terms of devices, digital literacy, and access to high-speed internet. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted digital gaps across our state, especially in internet access in rural and low-income communities and communities of color.

Digital equity is more than a quality-of-life issue; it plays a role in health care. A Federal Communications Commission task force is studying whether broadband connectivity should be considered a social determinant of health. Social determinants of health are the conditions where people live, work, and play that affect their health, such as transportation, neighborhood crime and education. Social determinants account for as much as 80% of a person’s health status. Digital equity may even be a “super” determinant because it affects other determinants — people search online for housing, transportation, and employment.

The Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice examined digital equity, seeking to understand how to address systemic issues that affect health outcomes, community vitality, and access to information and human services. Broadband recommendations to address racial equity were included in the commission’s final report. As we consider broadband policies and investments, we should treat broadband connectivity as a social determinant of health.

In 2020, the state established the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. This department focuses on connecting Kansans, with several investment programs focused on unserved and under-served areas. Multiple programs have been made possible through federal dollars. The commission recommended the state should maximize federal dollars to support broadband development and to increase access for hard-to-reach and vulnerable communities.

Kansas should support and invest in broadband access for all Kansans, but access is not enough. As state and local governments invest in broadband, they should also ensure their work is focused on digital equity.

To bridge the digital divide, Kansans need affordable broadband and appropriate devices, outreach to learn about available programs and digital literacy skills built with the help of culturally competent navigators.

Funds should be used to support digital navigators who help Kansans use online services and set up devices and home internet. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance provides a digital navigator toolkit designed with libraries, health care and other social service agencies in mind.

A major shift during the pandemic has been the increase in accessing health care online.

Many Kansans travel to receive care, must take off work for appointments, or have caregiving duties that make it difficult to visit the doctor. During the pandemic, telehealth services were expanded. Kansans were able to see their providers and specialists remotely, and providers were reimbursed for telehealth visits similarly to in-person visits.

In a statewide voter poll conducted for the REACH Healthcare Foundation and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, most Kansans (86%) said they support expanding or maintaining telehealth options after the pandemic ends. The poll oversampled Black and Hispanic voters. The study found that when it comes to accessing care, 71% of Kansans of color would prefer to see a doctor or health care professional who comes from their community, speaks their language and looks like them. Telehealth can help bridge that gap.

In a related consumer focus group survey, some patients shared that telehealth allows them to receive care they otherwise would not be able to access, including patients in rural areas who live hours away from specialists. However, others found internet connectivity to be a barrier.

“What frustrated me was the internet connection. While I’m at my parents’ I can FaceTime my son in Saudi Arabia, but I can’t talk to a local doctor 30 miles away. … So that is very frustrating to me to be talking to someone on the other side of the world and I’m not able to contact my local doctor,” said one focus group participant.

Community health workers or other care coordinators can serve as culturally competent digital navigators, helping patients set up their internet and teaching them how to use their personal devices to access telehealth appointments.

Interviews and a survey of Kansas health care providers and administrators found that for telehealth to remain viable, future financial support is needed for system upkeep and visit reimbursement. As a health equity strategy, Kansas should expand telehealth access and codify the regulations that expanded telehealth services.

As a state, we must continue removing barriers to ensure we’re reducing the digital divide, so that more Kansans can access information, health and human services, civic engagement, and educational and employment opportunities.

About this series

In June 2020, Gov. Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-48, forming the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. The Commission studied issues of racial equity and justice across systems in Kansas, focusing first on policing and law enforcement and then on economic systems, education, and health care. The Commission developed recommendations for state agencies, the Legislature, and local governments. Through the end of 2022, commissioners will dig deeper into the recommendations in a monthly series.

Dr. Tiffany Anderson, a longtime Kansas resident, has been a public-school educator for more than 28 years, with most of that time as superintendent. Dr. Anderson has been nationally recognized as one of Education Week’s 16 Leaders to Learn From. She has improved achievement and closed achievement gaps for students of poverty in rural, urban and suburban public-school districts. In 2016 she became the first African-American female superintendent of Topeka Public Schools, in Topeka, Kansas. In 2019, Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Dr. Anderson to the Postsecondary Technical Authority as part of the Board of Regents, and in 2020 Gov. Kelly also appointed Dr. Anderson to co-chair the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice.

Shannon Portillo, Ph.D., serves as associate dean of academic affairs for the University of Kansas Edwards Campus and the School of Professional Studies and as a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas. Dr. Portillo’s scholarship explores how formal policies and rules and informal social norms shape the work of public organizations. With community service is core value, Dr. Portillo served as co-chair of Governor Laura Kelly’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice and serves as a commissioner for the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners.

David Jordan is the President of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, a health philanthropy focused on improving the health of Kansans. Before joining the Health Fund, David served as the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a coalition of more than 100 organizations working to improve access to health care in Kansas. He has more than 20 years of experience leading state and national efforts focused on changing policy to improve health and reduce disparities.

Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here. Find how to submit your own commentary to The Lawrence Times here.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.

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