Connect to care through digital access and skills
The District’s broad geographical area expands well beyond the urban ring of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties, plus Southern Albemarle all incorporate rural residential areas. Broadband infrastructure has been slow to reach the more remote sections of the localities, and MAPP2Health participants from Nelson County in particular recognized how this has exacerbated the digital divide.
Beyond broadband, the ability to “find, evaluate, create, and communicate information” online – known as digital literacy – is critical to navigate the domains of daily life, including food access, employment, education, and healthcare. Lack of digital skills and competencies is not confined to rural residents alone; it can be particularly challenging for older adults and non-native speakers.
Although the CHIP objectives for Digital Access + Literacy are not yet finalized, the goals and recommendations inherited from MAPP2Health address both the access and literacy components of connectivity as well as the hardware and software needed to navigate daily life and specifically healthcare encounters.
Initial Workgroup Partners: Albemarle County Broadband Accessibility and Affordability Office, Jefferson-Madison Regional Libraries (JMRL), Jefferson Area Board for Aging Advisory Council (JABA), Louisa County Commission on Aging, Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education (TJACE@PVCC).
Overview of Objectives: The Digital Access + Literacy group is still forming and determining which goals and objectives can be accomplished in the three-year cycle.
Proposed CHIP Goals + Objectives
Proposed Goal | Proposed Objective | Proposed Convenor | Proposed Contributor |
Expand broadband service access |
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Expand digital literacy improvement services, especially for older adults, users in multiple languages |
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Integrate Digital Navigators into the healthcare landscape |
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Increase access to affordable hardware and software |
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FEATURED PROGRESS: As of April 2023
Image from Firefly RISE program |
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