Impact of Community Based Collaborations as it Relates to the Use of Telehealth on the Eastern Shore of Virginia

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop an understanding of the perceptions held by community outreach workers about access to care issues for the H-2A population and create a process for community collaboration, and the use of telehealth, to improve access to care for H-2A workers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Two focus groups, that totaled five participants, responded to the focus group questions. The data discussed significant health issues of the H-2A population, health services that required travel, current services available via telehealth, significant barriers to using telehealth, potential benefits of using telehealth, and the readiness of the organization to implement telehealth. Using MaxQDA, each of the focus groups were transcribed into a word document. Open, axial, and selective coding developed three subthemes of Trust, Education, and Resources. These three subthemes created an overarching theme of Access.