Bridging the racial gap in healthcare: a new study investigates digital access

On Saturday, February 17, at the Harold Mezile North Community YMCA, Techquity by FAITH! hosted the second of two kick-off events in preparation for a new study to determine how access to digital health equity impacts African American heart health outcomes in the cities of Rochester and Minneapolis.

 “Just because the healthcare experience has gone digital,” writes journalist Seth Joseph, “doesn’t mean it’s readily accessible or easy to navigate—digitally or otherwise—for everyone, and certainly not Take Minnesota, for example, where the health disparities between Black and white residents are among the worst in the nation. The digital divide is yet another social determinant of health (SDoH). 

The impact of COVID-19 has only exacerbated this gulf. “The pandemic brought about a clear and rapid transition to technology in accessing healthcare where African Americans found themselves even further behind as the use of telehealth became more and more prominent,” explains LaPrincess C. Brewer, M.D., M.P.H. 

The concept of ‘techquity” seeks to bridge the existing racial gaps in healthcare by increasing digital equity in historically underserved communities. Dr. Brewer, the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Techquity by FAITH! study and the first African American female cardiologist on the staff at Mayo Clinic Rochester, has long been at the forefront of this movement. 

In 2017, Dr. Brewer and her colleagues published the results from a separate study in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, where they employed the FAITH! model (Fostering African American Improvement in Total Health) in their research. 

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This particular model, which was founded by Dr. Brewer in 2008 and expanded to the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine five years later, was used to demonstrate how the increased knowledge and application of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 guidelines (LS7) bettered the cardiovascular health of Black Minnesotans. 

Their report revealed a “statistically significant improvement in cardiovascular health knowledge… and a higher percentage of participants meeting either ideal or intermediate LS7 scores.” 

This upcoming study, co-chaired by Dr. Brewer and Clarence Jones, executive director of the Minneapolis-based HueMAN Partnership, held its first kick-off event last month in Rochester, where the president of the local NAACP, Walé Elegbede, was the guest speaker. 

The Techquity by FAITH! study is designed to test the efficacy of the newly developed FAITH! digital app while promoting the AHA’s new cardiovascular health guidelines, now known as Life’s Essential 8 (LS8), which Dr. Brewer and a group of other cardiologists updated in 2022.

The LS8, equally divided between four health behaviors and four health factors, focuses on such things as a nutrient-rich diet, regular exercise, healthy sleep patterns, weight management, and successfully controlling one’s cholesterol, blood pressure, and A1C.  

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During the second kick-off event in Minneapolis, Dr. Brewer presented an overview of Techquity by FAITH! study, which is being funded by a 2 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and will be conducted in three phases. 

The phases of this community-based, participatory initiative include designing the study’s toolkit, training a network of Digital Health Advocates (DHAs) to support participants, and assessing the efficacy of the FAITH! app. 

The final phase, which will be conducted between February 2025 and April 2025, will, in partnership with 20 faith communities, track 150 participants in the cities of Rochester and Minneapolis as they utilize the FAITH! app to increase their cardiovascular knowledge and heart health.

Participants will be provided with their very own Fitbit, with the FAITH! app already installed. Among the things they will be asked to track are their daily steps and their intake of fruits and vegetables. 

“We are promoting digital inclusion to improve health outcomes,” notes Dr. Brewer, “This is the junction of tech and healthcare, where affordability and access to the internet, to smartphones, and other types of devices are vital to success. 

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In addition to a healthy catered lunch, prize drawings, and testimonials from those who have already benefitted from Techquity by FAITH!’s outreach, the Minneapolis event featured guest speaker Val Fleurantin, founder and CEO of VF Solutions.

A CDC-certified lifestyle coach, group fitness instructor, and the creator of Afrokaribe Dance Fitness, Coach Val (as she is affectionately known around the Twin Cities), spoke to the time 10 years or so ago, where she was tired of reading about the disparate state of health and wellness in communities of color, and in particular her beloved North Minneapolis.

When she heard a radio segment on KMOJ where someone remarked that 80 percent of the diseases and/or chronic conditions affecting individuals “over North” were “preventable by zip code,” Coach Val knew it was time to act.

So, she left a lucrative career in software engineering to begin teaching fitness classes in her local community. Coach Val also shared some success stories she’s witnessed over the years and emphasized the importance of maintaining flexibility and muscle mass before leading the many in attendance through an impromptu workout.

Pressed by an audience member as to what types of exercise she recommends, Coach Val responded, “Whatever you know that you’ll stick to—whatever you’ll find fun.” She added that it’s never too late to get started.

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When asked what success looks like regarding Techquity by Faith!, Dr. Brewer said, “I don’t look at this so much quantitatively. With this study, we are looking to promote positive change, touch people and communities, motivating them toward healthy lifestyles. That’s what success looks like to me.” 

For those interested in participating in the Techquity by FAITH! study, please send an email to FAITH4Heart@Mayo.edu. For more information about FAITH!, visit faith4heart.com.