HTI recently held a focused workshop titled Rural Health, Real Trust, dedicated to addressing the unique privacy and security challenges faced by rural and underserved healthcare providers. Hosted in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Health Consortium, the event took place in Asheville, North Carolina.
Participants included local clinic administrators, telehealth coordinators, patient advocates, and state health officials. The workshop’s central theme was data equity—ensuring rural populations are not left behind in digital healthcare transformations.
Topics covered included building affordable cybersecurity infrastructure, educating rural patients about their digital rights, and navigating low-bandwidth environments for secure telehealth delivery. One of the standout sessions showcased a case study from a small community hospital that implemented two-factor authentication across its staff using a grant secured through HTI.
“We can’t just talk about privacy at a policy level,” said HTI’s Director of Equity Initiatives, Carla Nunez. “We need to bring resources and support directly to the communities where data vulnerability is highest.”
HTI will publish a white paper later this year outlining the outcomes of the workshop and policy recommendations for supporting data trust in rural healthcare settings.
