Ep. 204 “Health access should never depend on your Zip Code.”: Telehealth and Rural Communities

Sunshine & Stories Episode 204: “Health access should never depend on your Zip Code.”:  Telehealth and Rural Communities 

Episode Summary:  
Kieran Hixon chats with Colorado Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera and Ashley Heathfield from the Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI) about the "Connect to Health at Your Library" project in Colorado. This initiative establishes telehealth hubs in rural libraries to provide a private, safe, and free way for rural residents to connect with healthcare providers and other online services. Lieutenant Governor Primavera discusses the importance of health access regardless of location, and Ashley Heathfield emphasizes how this project leverages existing library infrastructure and provides critical funding to these community pillars, while also building digital literacy skills that benefit users far beyond just medical visits. 

00:00 – Introduction
00:49 – Joy in Work
06:29 – The Telehealth/Library Partnership and Impact
08:19 - Visiting Julesburg and Future Hopes
10:05 - Patron Impact Stories  
11:19 – Closing 

Resources: 

Connect to Health @Your Library (https://telehealth.cvlsites.org/) 

Office of eHealth Innovation (https://oehi.colorado.gov/) 

For more about the Connect to Health @Your Library project, contact Kieran Hixon, Rural and Small Library Senior Consultant - Hixon_k@cde.state.co.us 

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CSL projects like this one are funded in part by the Grants to States program administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or the U.S. Government.  

Transcript

Sunshine and Stories podcast transcript for Episode 204

[music] [00:06]  

Kate B: Welcome to Sunshine and Stories. 

Kate C: The podcast that shines a light on big ideas and bright moments in Colorado's public and school libraries. 

Kate B: Brought to you by the Library Development team at the Colorado State Library. 

[00:19]  

Kieran: Hi there, this is Kieran Hixon, the Small and Rural Library Senior Consultant at the Colorado State Library. Today, I'm excited to speak with Lieutenant Governor Diane Primavera and Ashley Heathfield, the senior project manager for the office of E Health Innovation. We'll be discussing telehealth and rural communities and how the Connect to Health at Your Library project came about and expanded. 

So, Lieutenant Governor Primavera, what's brought you joy in your job recently? 

[00:49] 

Lieutenant Governor Primavera: Well, first of all, Kieran, thanks for doing this and I'd love the title of your show. Sunshine and stories. And there's so many things that bring joy to me in my job. And I think first of all, being surrounded by an incredible staff, who come to work every day with passion and they're bright and hardworking and they want to do what's right for the people in our state and do everything they can to support the governors and my priorities. I think it's really important. So just to go through a few things that I work on in my office. 

Disability policy has always been really important to me. The governor and I have had a vision of a Colorado for all and people with disabilities certainly make up part of that all. 

And so we recently produced a documentary about the history of accessibility for people in Colorado, and we've been showcasing it in a variety of settings. One most recently was Fort Lewis, and got a great reception. And I was really happy about that.  

AmeriCorps is in my office and we, you know, established a new program, I think probably first in the nation, the Youth Mental Health Corp.  And you know, we're giving young people a way to serve and support their peers that might be having some mental health issues. So, the joy comes from meeting members who are serving these youth and listening to the stories about how big a difference their service has made in some of the young people's lives. 

The Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs is also in my office, and I've learned so much about how to celebrate the culture and history and the connections that we have with our, you know, tribal members who have really shaped our State. 

One thing that has pretty much been under the radar is long COVID and we have really focused on long COVID and we recently had a round table with healthcare providers at National Jewish Health. And you know you looked around the room with all the care providers, sharing their latest findings on long COVID, strategies for improving patient care, and what stood out to me most and made me most happy was the collaboration that I saw in the room between patients and clinicians and policymakers that all learned from one another.  

And then of course, I can't leave out the Office of E Health Innovation, which is where Ashley works for us. And so, speaking about building bridges, it's really exciting to see the work happening through the Office of E Health Innovation. Projects like the telehealth hubs that we'll talk about today in libraries. 

OeHI, Oh-Hi as we call them, the Office of Health Innovation, because we have to have an acronym, is helping connect people who might otherwise have to drive hours to see a provider. Some don't have reliable Internet at home, and they're able to get the healthcare they need with our partners at the library so those things bring joy to my life every day. 

Kieran: That's very good to hear. Thank you. And Ashley, can I ask you the same question? What's brought you joy in your job? 

Ashley Heathfield: Sure. Yeah. So it might be a little bit nerdy, but infusing government work with the voices of community and getting resources to community-based organizations is really what brings me joy and drives me in my work.  

There's a couple different plans that we're able to work on, but I'll focus on the one for OeHI. We recently revamped our 2025 health IT road map, and you know, we were able to fund organizations across the state, both healthcare providers we really wanted to hear from in order to inform the plan and make sure that our priorities aligned with what the real needs were out in the Community, as well as organizations that work directly with patients in some of the most under resource areas. So, from new Americans to older adults living in rural areas, they're really able to infuse our plan with their needs and challenges, and biggest concerns by funding those organizations to actually host those listening sessions with their communities and with their own staff. 

And I think that's really important because, you know, we really, in government, you know we ask these organizations for a lot in terms of their perspectives and what asking to weigh in on different things. 

But to be able to give them resources to kind of show how much we value that information and respect their time. It's just so important and I love that OeHI really prioritizes that authentic communication and connection with these organizations and it's really exciting to be a part of that.  

And then for the Connect for Health project that we're talking about today, you know, that was another really pure joy project for me. Because here again, there are these institutions in communities across the state that we all love and use. But you know sometimes take for granted that they'll always be there and some of the libraries we funded are run by one or two paid people. And yet the programming and services they bring to their community are so outstanding and they do all of this with just very little money. And so I love this project because it not only leverages existing infrastructure and is helping rural Coloradoans connect to health services or job interviews, but also because it gave, in many cases, a small amount of funding to these critical community pillars that do so much with so little. So next year, I want to plug, we are hoping to have a funding opportunity that libraries can also apply for. So if there's other libraries out there that would like to have a telehealth kit or a space in their library, you know, we're hoping to be able to continue to fund that. So just keeping tabs on our website or emailing the OHAI team is a great way to find out about future opportunities for that. 

[06:29] 

Kieran: Oh, that's so exciting. 

OK. And Lieutenant Governor, the projects you were talking about, the other projects, I mean, that really shows a passion for healthcare. What spurred your interest in partnering with libraries in rural areas with telehealth? 

Lieutenant Governor Primavera: So you know, I have the title of Lieutenant Governor, but I also have another title. It's called the Director of the Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare, one that the governor created and that office is committed to ensuring that all Coloradoans have access to high-quality and affordable healthcare, regardless of where they live in the state. You know, I've always believed that health access should never depend on your Zip Code. So, for people in rural Colorado, distance and technology can make it hard to get the care that they need. And libraries are already trusted places where people go for learning. They go there for job searches and connection. So adding telehealth made perfect sense. And what's exciting is that it's not just about the Hub or the kit, or maybe even the medical visit itself. It's about the digital literacy skills that people build along the way from their librarians, who they trust as their guides. And once someone learns how to use a device for a telehealth visit, those same skills, open doors to online learning, to job applications, and education of all sorts, and staying connected with their families. And I think that's a bigger picture. 

Kieran: That's very well put. The digital literacy has been a strong component with what we've seen absolutely. And I hear you visited Julesburg recently and had a chance to see the setup there is that correct?  And what stuck with you about the Julesburg library and what are your hopes for telehealth and libraries in the future? 

[08:19] 

Lieutenant Governor Primavera: Yeah, I think that was one of my favorite visits. The governor and I are out all the time and going to Julesburg was really exciting for me and what stuck with me was how welcoming the staff were in the library to us and to the people that come in and use the service and how proud the staff was to offer this new resource. They told us that people were really relieved to have that space and to have those kits, you know, where it was private and where it was safe and a free way to connect with a provider without having to drive hours to the nearest hospital or medical office. So, for a community like Julesburg, that was really a game changer.  

I also want to highlight another program that's in my office, AmeriCorps members. They've also been an important part of this story. Through programs like the Public Health Corps, members are helping people navigate technology, learn to use telehealth kits, and build digital skills that go far beyond, as I mentioned, healthcare. So that's what I love about this model. It's about access, it's about empowerment. It's about partnership. It's all those things. So, you know, looking ahead, my hope is that we continue expanding telehealth hubs across libraries in Colorado. 

As Ashley mentioned, so that every community has this kind of access where they don't have to take time away from work to go to medical visit, they don't have to drive the long distance to go to a medical appointment. They don't have to get childcare to go to a medical appointment. So libraries are recognized as what they truly are, you know, they’re anchors of opportunity where people can learn, where they can connect, they can thrive, and they can be healthy. And so I hope that we can expand this program. 

[09:59] 

Kieran: Ashley, do you have anything you'd want to add about some of the libraries in the program. 

[10:05] 

Ashley Heathfield: Sure. Yeah. You know, I think just to maybe add a story to exactly what the Lieutenant Governor was saying in terms of what this brings to people, you know, in some of the patron surveys that we've heard. So essentially, you know, asking folks, well, why did you use this space? You know, how many miles does it save that kind of thing? You know, there's several stories about parents that were able to, you know, take their kiddo to get their occupational therapy or their speech therapy and go to the library instead of driving, you know, 2 1/2 hours one way to get those services and so you know, just to again put a story to kind of this project and you know, even if it helps you know 400 people in the state, you know those are the folks that really need this kind of support in order to just receive the services that are a little bit more available in other parts of the state. You know, so yeah, it was a really great program and I'd just love to see it continue again to support those communities and again not medical visits and also job interviews or you know, taking classes online. 

So it's just been a really great partnership with the Colorado State Library and really grateful we were able to fund those two cohorts of libraries for this. 

[11:19] 

Kieran: Thank you very much, Ashley. That partnership worked out really well. I think you both mentioned and hit the nail on the head of how that telehealth is just kind of a service that's also a gateway into that digital literacy and into those other things that rural communities have a harder time connecting with, whether it's jobs or even entertainment, or just using the Internet, that kind of digital literacy. And I think libraries have always been about literacy. So we're pretty good with that. 

Well, thank you very much for joining us today. I know I could probably spend many more hours talking to you all about the wonderful things that libraries are doing, but I appreciate your time, and I'll let you get back to other marvelous endeavors. 

Lieutenant Governor Primavera: Thank you, Kieran. 

Ashley Heathfield: Thank you, Kieran. 

[12:14]  

Kate B: That's our Sunshine and Stories for today Y’all.  

Kieran: If you want to hear even more about what other Colorado folks are up to in their libraries, check out Libraries Learn dot org for all our past and future learning opportunities. 

Suzi: This podcast is offered at no cost to listeners. Thanks to the time, effort and dedication of CSL library development consultants, as well as our state library colleagues and all our volunteer guests from across the field. 

Kate C: CSL projects like this one are funded in part by the grants to states program, which is administered by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

Polly: The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library Institute of Museum and Library Services or the US government. 

All: Thanks for joining us. We'll catch you next time. 

[13:05][music]