California company helps 'safety net' clinics rise to pandemic challenges

Even before the pandemic, the patients served by Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley were often hard to reach with important public health messages.

Geographic, cultural, linguistic and other challenges contribute to the health inequities faced by patients of the Indian Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing primary care to the entire community. But it prioritizes the unique health care needs of American Indians and Alaskan Natives, whose life expectancy is 5.5 years shorter than the population as a whole.

As the pandemic took hold in early 2020, the challenges in connecting with patients grew. When the center started offering telehealth visits, how would it get the word out that this technology-based approach to care was available?

That's the kind of dilemma that touched the heart of the late Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente and a longstanding member of the American Heart Association's board of directors. In its first round of funding in September, the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund helped the Indian Health Center overcome communication hurdles by investing in ConsejoSano, one of 10 minority and women-led investees addressing health inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.

ConsejoSano generated more than 50,000 telehealth visits for the Indian Health Center and other health centers during the pandemic. Through education and engagement campaigns, ConsejoSano's team explained to patients how telehealth worked, that it was available to them and how they could schedule appointments. In some cases, ConsejoSano team members made appointments directly for patients, and are now helping get out the word about vaccine safety and appointments.

To read the full article click HERE