On Monday, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-06) introduced $1.7 million of federal funding for UC Davis Well being’s Digital Well being Fairness Program at a press convention on the Sacramento campus.
The federal funding, which Matsui championed as a part of H.R. 2471, the federal government funding omnibus package deal, will assist the creation of a regional digital public well being platform to enhance entry and continuity of look after susceptible populations in Sacramento and Northern California. This system will handle well being disparities, particularly in underrepresented minority and low-income populations, partnering with Federally Certified Well being Facilities and community-based organizations.
“To really obtain well being fairness, we have to guarantee everybody can entry the very best high quality healthcare that permits and empowers people to optimize their well-being,” mentioned Matsui. “The work this program will do to succeed in susceptible populations is transformative. Right here at UC Davis Well being, they’re constructing a digitally inclusive and accessible society, which is vital to making sure healthcare supply and empowering underserved communities.”
This system will fund 4 digital well being navigator positions and IT infrastructure that can increase UC Davis Well being’s skill to collaborate with neighborhood organizations to hitch this digital platform and produce extra companies to susceptible sufferers and make entry to well being care simpler.
The affected person is on the middle of every thing we do, and we should innovate and problem standard knowledge to really ship digital well being fairness to all our sufferers – irrespective of their circumstances.” —David Lubarsky
“Because the statewide chief in telemedicine and digital well being, UC Davis Well being will proceed to construct on our medical middle’s lengthy historical past of reaching out to essentially the most susceptible, underserved populations within the area,” mentioned David Lubarsky, CEO of UC Davis Well being and vice chancellor for Human Well being Sciences. “The affected person is on the middle of every thing we do, and we should innovate and problem standard knowledge to really ship digital well being fairness to all our sufferers – irrespective of their circumstances.”
For many years, well being disparities in the US have been an ongoing public well being problem, particularly for racial and ethnic minority populations. On common, racial and ethnic minorities are in poorer well being, undergo worse well being outcomes, and have greater morbidity and mortality charges than their white cohorts. Underrepresented minority and low-income populations expertise disproportionately excessive charges of preventable illness and untimely demise throughout many circumstances. Such disparities may end up in extreme medical, social and financial penalties, together with elevated mortality.
“Who has entry to well being companies and high quality care are points we deeply look after at UC Davis Well being,” mentioned Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, director of UC Davis Middle for Decreasing Well being Disparities and lead for the Digital Well being Fairness Program. “For underserved communities, there may be little entry to wanted well being companies no matter location or level of entry. This funding helps handle these well being inequities and permits us to increase on our skill to additional well being care entry for all sufferers.”
