Health In Your Hands Issue #8 Fall 2014 | Page 4

T O U G A L O O C O L L E G E O W E N S H E A L T H & W E L L N E S S C E N T E R Bridging The Digital Divide! By George “Chuck” Patterson! As our campus and community continue to grow in the digital information age, there are many members of our community that are still left behind. Mississippi ranks 41st in the Nation, when it comes to availability of broadband technology and in the Unites State, only four out of ten African-Americans have access to internet access. This sharp contrast continues to represent a very substantial and real divide in our society. In 1995 the Commerce Department published its first look at the “digital divide,” finding stark racial, economic and geographic gaps between those who could get online and those who could not.! The Pew Internet and American Life Study reported that “young, college-educated and high-income African-Americans are equally as likely as their whites in the same demographic to use the Internet and have broadband access.” The study also found a larger gap when looking at older African-Americans and black adults that did not attend college. Because of this digital divide, the Tougaloo College Owens Health and Wellness Center has been awarded a grant from the AARP Foundation to increase the digital literacy of older adults through the Intergenerational Digital Literacy Project or “iDigiLIT.” ! The objective of iDigiLIT, as part of the [TC] Squared Initiative, is to pair a student from Tougaloo College with older adult as part of a service learning project. The project is designed to increase digital literacy among older adults and to fortify intergenerational relationships. iDigiLIT will (1) identify and meet technological needs of an aging population and (2) build capacity through peer educators to advise older adults on how to use technology (computer labs, tablets and smart phones) to enhance their digital literacy (i.e. online access, online security, application selections and participation (i.e. Facebook, YouTube, etc.); financial management online and any other technology literacy needs identified during this initiative.! For more information on the Intergenerational Digital Literacy Project contact, George “Chuck” Patterson [phone] or [email protected]. The AKA 5K | Visit our Facebook page for more pictures. www.facebook.com/tougaloohealth Campus Clinic! The Tougaloo College George A. and Ruth B. Owens Health and Wellness Center (OHWC) is a community resource facility designed to provide primary health care and preventative health services. Our clinic is a collaborative effort operated by Central Mississippi Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) and Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center. Hours of operation are from 8:00 AM -11:30AM & 2:00 PM 5:00PM.! Dr. Janice Bacon, MD! Dr. Rose T. Straughter, DMD! Morlyn Russell, FNP! Pediatrician & ! Director of Clinical Quality! Dental Director! Family Nurse Practitioner ! Available Tuesday & Wednesday Available Monday through Friday Available Monday & Friday Our providers are dedicated to delivering the best medical and dental care possibles to our patients. For more information please contact our providers directly:! Central Mississippi Health Services, Inc. [phone] | Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center Dental Clinic [phone] "4 Health In Your Hands