Tackling the Digital Equity Gap in Washington State

The Opportunity

The Digital Divide, or the gap between those that have access to digital resources, including affordable high-speed internet and devices, and the skills and support to utilize them, and those that do not, is one example of a social determinant of health. In 2021, Commerce solicited proposals from organizations that had the capacity to develop and implement a Digital Navigator program that would provide trusted guides (navigators) to assist community members in internet adoption and the use of computing devices.

The Community Health Network of Washington (CHNW) received funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce, Office of Broadband (Commerce) to create a Digital Navigator Program (Program) to advance digital literacy skills, digital equity, and connectivity in Washington. The grant opportunity aligned with CHNW’s efforts to reduce upstream causes of inequities and would enable further investment in staffing and infrastructure to address social needs in the community.

Goals

CHNW enlisted the support of Atrómitos to develop a strong grant proposal that reflected a deep understanding of the community and the challenges related to digital literacy and connectivity. The proposal needed to demonstrate why access to these supports was essential to the population CHNW served, how it was integral to the services CHNW already provided, and why CHNW was uniquely positioned to engage the community and improve digital equity for Washingtonians.

Upon receipt of a grant award, CHNW extended its engagement with Atrómitos to include assistance with development and implementation of the Digital Navigator program, including all aspects of policy development, program design, and program evaluation. CHNW needed to stand up the Digital Navigator program and demonstrate community engagement within a few short months to support Commerce in obtaining renewed funding beyond the initial six-month grant period.

Approach

RFP Development
The key to developing a successful grant proposal is demonstrating an understanding of the problem, the population the program will serve, and a well-informed approach to solving it. Atrómitos worked closely with CHNW leadership and program staff to write a proposal and design a program that was based on local data (about the low-income populations CHNW’s CHC providers serve) and national research (findings on digital literacy programs and technology use in health care). The Atrómitos team collaborated with CHNW to construct a detailed work plan and budget that addressed the program’s key requirements, including launching a hotline; developing and delivering trainings and resources; distributing devices and enrolling in subscription services; and establishing a navigator pilot program. Atrómitos also supported CHNW in its successful application for round two of the Commerce funding, instituting a Regional Community Collaborative.

Program Implementation and Evaluation
During program implementation, the Atrómitos team conducted research and provided technical assistance to the CHNW team. This included Program Development and Oversight, Marketing, Hotline, and Navigator staff, to support and inform the:

• Development of materials and resources available to the community on CHNW’s Digital Navigator website – Link to Care WA.
• Creation of training scripts and documents that Digital Navigators use to deliver training to the target population.
• Design and execution of an evaluation of the Digital Navigator program that included identifying, collecting, and assessing data to demonstrate the impact of each of the key requirements of the program.

Learning Collaborative
In order to engage more CHCs and expand the reach and impact of the program CHNW created a Learning Collaborative that would allow existing CHC pilot program participants to share best practices with other CHCs. The Atrómitos team designed curriculum modules for the first three months of a twelve-month monthly forum where participants exchange lessons and best practices around the effective implementation of digital navigation services within a clinical setting. Topics include staffing models, training requirements, and the effective use of community health workers and other peer-based supports to engage with targeted populations. At CHNW’s request, the initial Collaborative modules were based on the Agile framework and aims to foster the rapid design and deployment of Digital Navigator operational models, their evaluation, and refinement.

Regional Community-Based Coalition
Building upon the accomplishments of the Link to Care and Learning Collaborative, Atrómitos assisted CHNW in securing a second grant from Commerce to expand its digital navigation model to establish a regional collation of providers and community-based organizations in North Central Washington. In its first year, the coalition will oversee the deployment of Digital Literacy and Navigation trainings at community-based organizations across the regions and distribute free internet-enabled phone devices with pre-paid to qualifying individuals.

Conclusion

With the support of Atrómitos, CHNW successfully:

• Pursued and was awarded two (2) multi-million dollar grant awards from Commerce for the Digital Navigator Program
• Implemented the key requirements of the Program within the initial short grant period (6 months)
• Utilized the experience of the initial Pilot Program to find a Learning Collaborative for Community Health Centers at various stages of implementation of digital navigation activities.
• Recruited statewide and regional partners for a regional coalition to address digital equity in Washington’s mostly rural north-central region. Expanding the Link to Care program to extend beyond health settings to reach individuals throughout the community and enhance local community organizations’ capacity to serve their constituents.

The accomplishments of CHNW and its partners in closing the digital equity gap to better serve the needs of their patients and the residents of Washington demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of an AGILE structured approach, meaning one that prioritizes the rapid design, deployment, and iteration of practical tools by individuals with direct “field experience.”