Connect Nevada Releases e-Health Report
Report showcases importance of broadband in healthcare days before statewide broadband summit
Carson City, NV. (November 10, 2011) – Today, Connect Nevada is releasing a new e-Health report on broadband and how online connectivity impacts the cost and availability of quality healthcare services. The report, titled e-Health: Empowering Nevadans Across All Walks of Life, covers one of many economic development issues that will be discussed at the 2011 Broadband Summit taking place in Dayton on Monday.
The nonprofit’s new e-Health report for the state takes a detailed look at the growing importance e-Health is playing in both the public health and technology fields. It reveals that half of all Nevada’s Internet users go online for medical information and help with their health issues.
“As healthcare costs keep rising, more Nevadans are turning to broadband to learn about healthcare and communicate with medical specialists from around the world. It’s those opportunities that are making e-Health such a valuable asset,” says Connect Nevada State Program Manager Lindsey Niedzielski. “There are so many benefits to e-Health. It can improve the quality of healthcare, streamline the process, provide faster answers, improve patient safety, and increase access.”
Connect Nevada examined the topic of e-Health in its latest Residential Technology Assessment. These results show that, while residents across a wide variety of demographic groups utilize e-Health, there are many underserved groups who may benefit from e-Health training and increased access to e-Health opportunities.
Among the findings from this survey:
- One in four Nevadans (25%) who access the Internet on their cell phones say they use their cell phone or mobile device for e-Health purposes.
- While many Nevadans utilize e-Health technology to improve their medical care and reduce costs, nearly 300,000 low-income Nevada adults do not tap into this resource.
- Hispanic and African American Nevadans are significantly less likely to use e-Health tools; altogether, approximately 125,000 African American and 170,000 Hispanic adults in Nevada still do not use the Internet for e-Health purposes.
- e-Health is a vital tool for Nevadans with disabilities, as approximately 129,000 use the Internet to access e-Health tools, and 38,000 use cell phones or mobile devices. Still, the use of e-Health applications among adults with disabilities is lower than in other surveyed states.
The e-Health report comes just days before Nevada’s groundbreaking Broadband Summit. The interactive meeting is taking place on Monday, November 14 in Dayton, Nevada. The historic event is bringing state, county, tribal, and local leaders together for the first time to discuss the agenda of broadband expansion and the critical role the technology will play in Nevada’s economic future. The summit is being co-hosted by nonprofit Connect Nevada and the governor’s Nevada Broadband Task Force. Anyone with interest in championing local broadband expansion in his or her community is encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussion through Twitter using hash tag #NVbroadband.
Connect Nevada will also be live streaming the event via the website. For further information, please contact Lindsey Niedzielski at (877) 846-7710 or lniedzielski@connectnv.org.