Viewing Telehealth Through the Lens of a Community Benefit Mission.

INTRODUCTION: This article reviews the intersection of common objectives between telehealth initiatives launched by health systems and community health (specifically community benefit). Telehealth initiatives can benefit communities and play a potential role in improving population health. There is great opportunity to better integrate telehealth activities into community health strategies and community benefit reporting (for nonprofit hospitals) while building the case for telehealth service expansion. METHODS: Through descriptive, hypothetical cases, we demonstrate the intersection of the triple aim, specifically improving population-level health, and three common objectives between telehealth and community benefit: (1) improving access to care, (2) enhancing community health, and (3) advancing medical or healthcare knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This article is intended to spur inspiration for possible telehealth and community health/community benefit connections.

Philanthropy and Community Benefit.

Philanthropy and community benefit have been closely related since the earliest days of health care. Religious and civic founders of the first nursing homes and hospitals received support from generous members of the community offering financial and volunteer resources. The connection remains today.

Sponsors: Role Models and Advocates.

Religious sponsors have led every step of the way in the Catholic Health Association's community benefit work. Since the Ursuline Sisters' 1727 arrival in New Orleans, women religious have modeled community health improvement by looking around, seeing what needed to be done and finding ways and means to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people.