Patients who learn how to manage chronic symptoms by watching an online video or discussing symptoms and treatment options via a hotline are just the tip of the iceberg in a revolution that is transforming health care. This intersection between the two is the focus of TECHealth. The 15th Annual Eliminating Health Disparities conference was hosted at the Jackson Convention Complex Oct. 8-9 by the Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities/Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research in the School of Public Health.
Dr. Evelyn J. Leggette, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs, said, “Jackson State University is dedicated to eradicating the disproportionate burden of health disparities placed on poor and minority citizens not only in Mississippi but throughout our nation. This conference helps us explore and share strategies for the application of technology to address this important public health issue.”
Following opening remarks on the future of healthcare by Dr. Marinelle Payton, director and principal investigator for the Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities and Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center, keynote speaker Dr. Derrick C. Tabor, program director for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, shared how technology can be used to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes.
Tabor encouraged participants to continue to explore new uses for technology and lauded the new School of Public Health at JSU.
Cary Wheelous, co-founder and president of New Orleans-based Community Health TV (CHTV), the largest Internet provider of health video geared toward multicultural consumers, served as the luncheon keynote presenter. Wheeler shared how culturally nuanced videos can be effective tools for providing information across a broad spectrum of medical services and topics including in-depth medical content for condition prevention and management to fitness and cooking videos to recommendations for achieving a healthy lifestyle.
Wheelous added, “The CHTV websites also offer areas for interactive support communities, health and wellness tools and answers to frequently asked medical questions.”
Dr. Tearsanee Carlisle Davis, lead nurse practitioner for the Center for Telehealth at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, discussed how technology is being used and can be expanded to bridge gaps in healthcare delivery to those in rural communities. Other presenters discussed a variety of topics including ethics and telehealth.