By John Hawkins, President and CEO, THA
With no significant federal or state offices up for grabs, most people likely don’t consider this an election year. But, it is – and for healthcare champions, there’s one issue on the ballot particularly worth your participation, which could potentially shape Texas’ healthcare landscape for a long time.
On Nov. 7, voters will decide which of 14 Texas constitutional amendments on the ballot will become law. Between the presidential debates and headline-grabbing news at the state and national levels, it’s no surprise if this election slipped under your radar. But among those amendments is a broadband internet measure that we at the Texas Hospital Association hope will earn overwhelming support.
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Proposition 8, or HJR 125, would create a broadband infrastructure fund for expanding high-speed internet access across Texas. The program will allocate $1.5 billion to expanding broadband infrastructure to 7 million Texans who currently don’t have high-speed access.
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That would significantly bolster our ability to care for rural Texans, translating into higher access to healthcare services through hospital-at-home programs and telehealth – two effective care modalities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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It’s no secret that access to care in rural areas is one of this state’s most important – most challenging – areas for improvement. Large distances between hospitals in these communities is an unavoidable fact of life; recruiting hospital workforce to the remotest parts of Texas is always a challenge, and the sparse populations in those communities limit the amount of tax revenue that can flow into the hospitals that serve them.
Following the pandemic, rural hospitals have encountered continuing challenges under the weight of financial and workforce pressures. Last year, the THA-commissioned Kaufmann Hall report showed that 26% of rural hospitals in Texas were at risk of closure, as compared to 5% for urban hospitals. Rural providers who keep their doors open find their resources stretched to their limits, especially during times of crisis.
However, the use of telehealth services during the pandemic mitigated some of these problems. The increasing acceptance of telemedicine as a viable treatment modality – with the right circumstances and proper regulations in place – is one of the bright spots in today’s shifting care landscape. It’s a necessary piece we must have to face the realities of caring for rural populations. As such, high-speed broadband access is one of the most potent tools for bridging the gap between patients and care, especially in vulnerable populations in Texas’ rural regions.
Your votes matter. Showing up at the polls on Nov. 7 – or between Oct. 23 and 3 for early voting – to cast your vote for broadband could determine whether a patient gets to see a doctor when needed.
In an age in which just about every service is enhanced in some way by internet connectivity, healthcare services are not the exception to the rule. Broadband services are becoming necessary as rural hospitals are strained under the pressures of the post-COVID-19 world. We hope all Texans – patients, hospital workers and officials, and other stakeholders – educate themselves on this incredible opportunity to help communities stay healthy. And when it’s time to vote, vote to help connect our hospitals and healthcare facilities with every Texan who needs them.