OHSU hosts inaugural CO-LED summit: A new landscape in digital health equity

On October 26, 2024, Oregon Health and Science University's (OHSU) Health Equity team and Office of Digital Health held their first-ever CO-LED (Community Organization Led Equity by Design) Summit. The CO-LED initiative, which brings together community and healthcare organizations to address multi-sector challenges like the digital divide through human-centered design, celebrated its Cohort 1 participants and their remarkable strides toward digital health equity.

The summit highlighted the accomplishments of Cohort 1, including the creation of culturally tailored digital literacy programs now benefiting the community. Adelante Mujeres, for example, launched accessible computer classes, while community health workers at IRCO are conducting digital literacy training for immigrant and refugee communities. The City of Portland supported these efforts as a sponsoring partner, providing tablets for the program's participants to bridge the digital access gap.

A key focus of the summit was digital health equity, recognizing the shift of healthcare services and providers to virtual platforms-a change that can unintentionally create new barriers for marginalized and lower-income communities. In response, healthcare professionals and community organizations are finding new ways to make digital health tools accessible and meaningful.

Rebecca Gibbons, Digital Equity Manager for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, joined a panel discussion at OHSU's CO-LED Summit, bringing her expertise in digital inclusion and community-centered approaches to bridging the digital divide. Her insights highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts across sectors to ensure equitable access to technology and digital health resources for all Portlanders.

The summit provided an invaluable opportunity for digital equity practitioners, healthcare professionals, and community leaders to connect and learn from each other's experiences. It was inspiring to hear about the impact of programs like those led by Adelante Mujeres and IRCO, as well as innovative efforts by healthcare leaders like Dr. Darren Malinoski, who developed a web-based donor registry, and Dr. Justin Keller, the developer of PointClickCaresoftware. These initiatives highlight the transformative potential of building trust in communities through responsive and inclusive program design.

As the CO-LED Summit planning moves forward, the success of the collaborative effort organized by OHSU to bring together different organizations to discuss and learn, paves the way for next years summit set to launch in January 2025.