Summary
Dr. Anjana Sharma’s work as a primary care physician in the front lines of COVID showed the potential of telehealth in the safety net. But patients and community partners exhorted her to continue research that provides direct support to patients and bridge the digital divide. This led to a successful R01 grant from the NIH called ACCTIVATE: Achieving Chronic Care EquiTy by LeveragIng the Telehealth Ecosystem, with principal investigator Dr. Delphine Tuot.
The intervention is implementing a novel combination of health coaching and digital navigation for patients living with diabetes in the public health network. Participants gain skills, knowledge, and motivation to engage in telehealth and chronic disease management. The multilevel intervention is also supporting equity-based clinic-level quality improvement work and patient/community advisory councils. ACCTIVATE is run in partnership with a robust Community Advisory Board with representation from the Mayor’s Office, the SF Public Library, healthcare staff, and patients and caregivers with lived experience.