TECHNOLOGY
“ One of the problems with the health system in general is it ’ s too competitive , so people don ’ t collaborate as much as they should .”
PETER YELLOWLEES Chief wellness officer , UC Davis Health exchange . Other laws coming out , such as Assembly Bill 2083 in California , require the sharing of data across many disciplines for certain populations , pointing to the end of silos of data .
Even with the overdue expansion of telehealth , Richard Knecht doesn ’ t believe digital tools to be the panacea to health care . The virtues of empathy , vulnerability and compassion don ’ t easily translate through screens in a virtual arrangement , “ when people are only visible from the neck up ,” he says . In person , health professionals can read body postures , engage with and respond to patients in a direct way . In a digital setting , that engagement is compromised , he says .
“ What I think we ’ re going to experience is a reckoning in health and human services ,” he says . “ We adapted to the digital environment , but here ’ s the problem : The very essence of wellness and recovery is rooted in the human relationship . It ’ s about our capacity to be present with other people who are suffering , and you cannot do that remotely .”
Russell Nichols is a freelance writer who focuses on technology , culture and mental health . His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal , The Boston Globe , Governing magazine and Government Technology . On Twitter @ russellnichols .
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FOR EVERY VOTE CAST IN THE 2021 ELECTION , THE CO-OP WILL DONATE $ 2 TO THE FARMERS RESILIENCE FUND
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62 comstocksmag . com | September 2021