At the onset of the pandemic, Shared Harvest launched myCovidMD™, an empathy-driven low tech platform to address the digital divide and the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on those impacted by racial inequalities compounded by social, economic, and health inequities, safely connecting them to much-needed resources in real time.

The telehealth platform is powered by Community Health Partners (CHPs), a task force of culturally-competent volunteer frontline healthcare providers trained to serve the people that need them most. CHPs serve as health navigators for community members to educate them about a variety of health topics by meeting people where they’re at and providing the support they need to learn about both health and digital resources. CHPs put both their scholarly and practical education to use to directly help and educate others, creating a mutually beneficial support system through our education equity pillar.

The successful growth of the CHP program afforded SHF a deepened understanding of the mental health struggles of professionals. The network evolved into a force for good and trusted community of peers, vulnerably sharing their concerns and stories of burnout, loan burdens and their uncertain futures in medicine. In light of this perspective, the Project #RESUS loan forgiveness program was created as an intentional effort to reduce depression, burnout and suicide amongst providers that are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and provide financial stability as part of our financial equity pillar. It enhances the work of the CHP telehealth network by providing real time credit towards student loan reduction in addition to free wellness, peer storytelling and learning and mental health support. These factors are intertwined, and this financial relief from student loan debt helps reduce the mental and emotional burden providers carry along with this debt. Bolstering and expanding the CHP provider network is critical to tethering us to the community as a trusted, culturally competent health network that also takes care of its own through financial security.

The VAXEQUITY Project rebuilds trust in the healthcare system by providing access to culturally affirming pop-up vaccination community block parties, increasing access to volunteer providers, offering webinars and fireside conversations dedicated to myth busting, and tethering the whole community to a network of compassionate health advocates and navigators, volunteer vaccinators, mental health resources and other wrap around services so that no one is left behind. Supporting our health equity pillar, the project specifically serves low income, BIPOC communities with a focus on high-risk young adults, college students, intergenerational households, immigrants and previously incarcerated individuals.

To date, SHF’s VAXEQUITY program has fully vaccinated nearly 10000 people, held 7,000 in-person and video-assisted COVID-19 telehealth screenings to older adults, homeless, uninsured, or otherwise under-resourced individuals, and connected more than 13,000 participants with our Community Health Partners, trusted organizations, and locally available patient advocates.

As part of our digital equity pillar, Shared Harvest is a leader in advocacy around broadband initiatives and the campaign to make connectivity more accessible to all. This connection is essential to successfully supporting community members through telehealth, as the Internet is an essential utility for accessing health services. SHF has become highly involved in improving broadband policy alongside other nonprofit partner organizations, as unity and legislation are some of the best ways to enact change in this area to improve conditions for those who lack access to broadband. SHF conducts ongoing research initiatives investigating the Digital Divide in LA County, provides comment in both FCC and CPUC proceedings, and raises awareness on the digital divide through speaking engagements and media resources.

SHF is poised to expand the pipeline of urgently needed community health workers and promotores de salud (CHW/Ps) by launching a training program and curriculum designed to promote core competencies essential to serving disadvantaged communities; increase workforce readiness through a training pathway to field experience, apprenticeships, and quality employment; and deploy allied health workers with expanded skills for addressing health disparities.

What sets the Shared Harvest approach and curriculum apart from others is its focus on overcoming digital inequities and barriers to quality health services. CHW/Ps trained through the SHF curriculum will graduate with the ability to identify patient needs regarding digital access to medical care, advocate for patients living in digital deserts, and help patients to successfully navigate resources, technology, and telehealth systems.

The organization is most poised to launch and grow its CHW/P program based on its grassroots, community-centered approach, lessons learned from its successful community health partner network.