Sometimes it just takes a little imagination to see how broadband fits into a funders need. On the surface, the Department of Human Services might not seem like the first place to look for broadband funding – except that broadband is essential to deliver many healthcare services and people who need those services need to be online to get them.
Last year Pew released a report that indicated that people with chronic disease tend to be older, they are ripe for using telehealth tools because they are already tracking health indicators (80 percent of adults living with two or more conditions track indicators, compared with 70 percent with one condition and 61 percent with none) and they already go online to seek information (60 percent of patients with chronic disease talked with doctors about info they found online compared to 48 percent of patients without conditions) and yet people living with chronic conditions are significantly less likely than other adults to have internet access: 72 percent, compared with 89 percent of adults who report no chronic conditions.
Who might help that demographic get online? The Minnesota Department of Human Services with their Community Service/Community Services Development Grants (CS/SD)…
Since the 2001 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature has provided funding each year to the Department of Human Services (DHS) to help communities rebalance their long-term care service delivery system and increase their capacity to help people age 65 and older to stay in their own homes and communities.
These dollars are given out to organizations through the Community Service/Community Services Development grants, also known as CS/SD.
The CS/SD grants promote targeted development to meet the challenges of Aging 2030 and the forecasted pressures on Minnesota’s long-term care system.
CS/SD grants help:
• Persons age 65+ stay in their own homes and communities
• Improve chronic disease management in Minnesota’s communities
• Expand long-term care capacity by linking formal and informal long-term care services
• Support caregivers and promote independence through market-based solutions