NCACH – Telehealth Options
Summary
In January of 2020, the North Central Washington Accountable Community of Health (NCACH) published a request for proposal to provide a comprehensive plan for telehealth infrastructure and access in the North Central Washington region (Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties). The purpose of the request for proposal was to “produce a practical and achievable plan for a community-based solution to enhance telehealth capacity” (p. 3). The request included three key components: conducting an environmental scan of the region and individual communities, developing a report that outlines a realistic vision of a regional program design, and an individual needs and assessment plan for clinical and non-clinical partners.
In response to the request for proposal, Washington State University’s Division of Governmental Studies and Services (DGSS) enlisted researchers from the WSU College of Nursing and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center to propose a multi-method study to address NCACH deliverables. The WSU research team was ultimately the vendors selected to complete the first two components of the request for proposals which include the environmental scan and regional program design. To meet these project deliverables, the WSU research team, in collaboration with representatives of NCACH, developed and conducted a mixed-method study that included an in-depth literature review, analysis of secondary data collected by national and state government organizations, interviews with community organizations in the four-county region, group concept mapping with key stakeholders, a survey of libraries in the counties, and an end-user survey.
Project Leads:
Christina Sanders – Prinicipal Investigator
Season Hoard – Co-Principal Investigator
