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Digital Health Symposium: Advancing Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health

Mar
03
2022

Digital Health Symposium: Advancing Broadband Connectivity as a Social Determinant of Health

10:00 am - 4:30 pm EST
Online Only

The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force hosted this virtual event which gathered public and private sector thought leaders from a variety of disciplines, including telecommunications and health care, to discuss issues around recognizing broadband connectivity as a “social determinant of health.” Social determinants of health reflect the fact that health begins where we live, learn, work, and play; they are the non-medical factors (including education, health care access, income, and employment) that affect health or can serve as a predictor of one’s health status. Participants also explored the implications of this framework for national broadband policies, population health, and government-wide efforts to address health inequities. Achieving digital health equity through improving broadband access and adoption is an FCC priority and was an overarching theme of this event.

Participants, among other things:

  • elicited and discussed perspectives and identifed insights on broadband connectivity as a social determinant of health;
  • explored the future of broadband-enabled health technologies (e.g., home hospital) and how FCC policies and programs could support ongoing innovations within the social determinants of health framework;
  • identified seminal literature and data sources and future research needs; and
  • framed a call-to-action for additional research and a policy roadmap to support and establish broadband connectivity as a social determinant of health domain.

See the Public Notice for additional details, including the event agenda and panelists.

Questions

For event questions, contact the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force by e-mail at connect2health@fcc.gov, and insert “Symposium Question” in the subject line. For press inquiries, please contact Katie Gorscak, FCC Office of Media Relations, by e-mail at Katie.Gorscak@fcc.gov.

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