West Virginia's Connectivity Landscape
Highlighting the effects of broadband limitations on healthcare connectivity in West Virginia.
The Study in West Virginia
In West Virginia, the Telehealth Broadband Pilot focused on seven counties: Calhoun, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Nicholas, Ritchie, and Roane.
West Virginia's mountainous terrain and dispersed rural communities posed significant barriers to broadband deployment. Despite some progress, inconsistent and unreliable connectivity remains a significant obstacle to telehealth adoption across the region for both healthcare organizations and consumers.
Insights in Rural West Virginia
Explore the broadband gaps, telehealth challenges, and opportunities for community-driven solutions.
Strategies and Learnings from West Virginia
Effective Local Outreach
Leveraging Relationships
The West Virginia Primary Care Association's existing relationships with healthcare providers facilitated widespread pod deployments. This approach enabled participation across 104 locations, including 21 healthcare sites and 42 consumer homes.
Community-Driven Recruitment
Engaging local leaders and trusted institutions helped overcome skepticism and encouraged participation.
Key Takeaways
Infrastructure Needs Investment
Broadband infrastructure in rural West Virginia requires targeted investment to address the significant gaps in speed and reliability, especially among consumers and in more mountainous areas.
Local Champions are Vital
Establishing trusted community champions proved crucial in fostering participation and sustaining engagement in the program.
Our Recommendations
Improve Broadband Infrastructure
Prioritize expanding broadband access and reliability in counties with the poorest performance, particularly consumer locations and in areas with more mountainous terrain.
Expand Partnerships
Use Community Anchor Institutions and local champions as springboards for further broadband improvement and telehealth adoption.
Broadband Performance Variability
Mixed Connectivity Results
Median download speeds varied widely across the counties, with some areas, such as Kanawha County, achieving 304.3 Mbps, while others, like Roane County, lagged behind at 15.3 Mbps.
Consumer Challenges
Over 39% of speed tests from consumer homes fell below even the 25/3 Mbps threshold, highlighting the difficulty residents face in accessing consistent, high-quality internet.
Healthcare Connectivity Challenges
Progress at Healthcare Sites
West Virginia was the only state where the median speeds at healthcare locations met the 100/20 Mbps benchmark. However, only 44.9% of individual speed tests achieved this benchmark, showing significant inconsistencies in broadband quality.
Impact on Services
Poor broadband reliability at healthcare sites disrupted telehealth services, leading to delays and reduced access to critical care for rural residents.
Community Anchor Institutions as Potential Hubs
Strength in Community Locations
Schools, libraries, and other CAIs showed potential to support telehealth services, though their broadband quality was not uniformly high. Median speeds were better than consumer locations but fell short of the reliability needed for consistent telehealth.