The Pew Research Center reports that about a quarter of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year say they don’t own a smartphone. About 40% of adults with lower incomes do not have home Internet service or a desktop or laptop computer. Researchers say this so-called digital divide makes it difficult to climb out of poverty. To address this challenge, L.A. Care Health Plan, which serves more than 2.5 million low-income Medi-Cal beneficiaries, has committed $55,000 to Human-I-T for the 2022 Technology Justice Partnership, which will provide computers, laptops or tablets to 200 low-income residents in Los Angeles County.
Through this partnership, which was initiated by L.A. Care’s Community Outreach and Engagement Department, Human-I-T will also help the individuals sign up for free or low-cost Internet, and will provide them with digital literacy training. The company will also participate in a digital literacy event that will provide digital literacy education to up to 250 L.A. Care consumer advisory committee members.
This new partnership is building on a last year’s $25,000 investment for a similar project. It also aligns with L.A. Care’s commitment to health equity, which means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a shift to telehealth because of the need to maintain social distance. Lack of access to the technology needed to allow a telehealth visit exacerbates health inequity. This partnership is one step toward improving health equity for those who will benefit from new digital devices and training.