Rural residents have lower levels of access to health care and health services, and health insurance coverage rates are lower as well; as a result, the health of rural residents is poorer compared to their urban counterparts. The lack of healthcare providers, longer distances to healthcare facilities, and lower economic status for rural populations place extra burdens on both providers and patients to meet and receive needed care. The COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted these disparities but also spurred new forms of care delivery. Telehealth, through synchronous and asynchronous remote appointments, provided healthcare providers with opportunities to connect with patients outside of physical office visits. The rise of Telehealth not only increased options for patients but also protected all parties from the spread of the COVID-19 (Hirko et al. 2020). Yet, throughout much of the United States rural broadband options are limited or nonexistent.This project is an extension of a previous collaboration with the Mayo Clinic (please see “A Spatial Analysis of Cellular Singal Strength in Western Wisconsin”). It has been determined that a strength of less than -115 dBm will not produce a viewable telehealth appointment. This poster will discuss one of the outcomes of this project (1) kriging analyses and a probability map of cellar strength for Verizon and AT&T near Menomonie, WI. Such analysis will provide Mayo Clinic with a better understanding of where telehealth opportunities are possible in rural areas for patients who lack internet access.
