Joy Bonala

Project ECHO for Opioid Use Disorders uses telehealth platforms to connect providers to a hub of experts from an academic medical center.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, many people became isolated; but technology offered a way to stay connected. However, for many seniors, new technology is like a foreign language.“If you don't learn technology, you're gonna be left behind and a lot of folks are left behind now,” said Paul Dukes, a senior living in Columbia.Dukes enrolled in a digital literacy class offered by Palmetto Care Connections, a nonprofit telehealth network that works to connect healthcare providers to patients in rural communities through telehealth.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, many people became isolated; but technology offered a way to stay connected. However, for many seniors, new technology is like a foreign language.“If you don't learn technology, you're gonna be left behind and a lot of folks are left behind now,” said Paul Dukes, a senior living in Columbia.Dukes enrolled in a digital literacy class offered by Palmetto Care Connections, a nonprofit telehealth network that works to connect healthcare providers to patients in rural communities through telehealth.

As the covid-19 pandemic rages on around the country, here in South Carolina more people are being hospitalized from Covid-19 than at any point since the virus hit last March. That’s leaving clinicians, in some cases, to rely on telehealth to safely reach their patients. This week a national campaign launched called Telehealth Awareness Week. Ann Mond Johnson is chief executive officer of the American Telemedicine Association.

As the covid-19 pandemic rages on around the country, here in South Carolina more people are being hospitalized from Covid-19 than at any point since the virus hit last March. That’s leaving clinicians, in some cases, to rely on telehealth to safely reach their patients. This week a national campaign launched called Telehealth Awareness Week. Ann Mond Johnson is chief executive officer of the American Telemedicine Association.

More than 4,000 people in South Carolina are experiencing homelessness. In the Lowcountry, it is more than 400 and the majority of those people are located in the Charleston area. The Navigation Center provides a space that feels like a home for many people who are often stigmatized and marginalized.

Dr. Emily Ware is a clinical pharmacy specialist with the Tobacco Treatment program at the Medical University of South Carolina. She offers behavioral counseling that helps patients kick the habit. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of her work has been virtual.

On a windy afternoon earlier this month, U.S. Rep. James Clyburn along with about 50 stakeholders from across the state celebrated a successful broadband pilot project in Allendale, South Carolina which created internet access for 1,000 homes in 61 days.Jim Stritzinger, the broadband coordinator for South Carolina, said the Allendale Broadband Pilot Project is the first of many similar projects aimed at advancing digital equity in South Carolina.

There are an estimated 34 million people living with diabetes in the United States. Long-term complications of diabetes include cardiovascular disease, nerve damage and eye damage. People who experience diabetic retinopathy may eventually go blind. For many patients in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, there may not be any symptoms at all and that is why screening is important.

Even as more people get their shot, South Carolina reports hundreds of new coronavirus cases every day. Many of those stricken by the virus receive medical care through remote patient monitoring.