Media Contact: 
Katie Gorscak, (202) 418-2156
katie.gorscak@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

ACTING CHAIRWOMAN ROSENWORCEL PROMOTES IMPORTANCE OF TELEHEALTH DURING VISIT TO WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH 
Highlights Vital Role of Connectivity for the LGBTQ Community
 in Washington, DC
  -- 
WASHINGTON, January 29, 2021—Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel today visited Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, DC to highlight the importance of connectivity in healthcare and learn more about how the facility is using telehealth to serve patients during the pandemic.  Founded in 1973, Whitman-Walker provides community-based health and wellness services to approximately 20,000 unique patients and clients each year, with a special expertise in LGBTQ and HIV care.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly stressing our healthcare system and has presented new challenges for patients seeking care, especially for those from marginalized communities,” said Rosenworcel.  “I join Whitman-Walker Health in saying, as they do: We See You.  This great institution has a storied history of providing stigma-free, community-based health and wellness services, especially for LGBTQ communities.  Through expanded and affordable access to broadband for all, organizations like Whitman-Walker and clinics around the country can continue to grow their telehealth efforts to support their communities.” 

Rosenworcel was joined by her colleague FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr for a tour of the facility, including its pharmacy and mental/behavioral health division, and met with Naseema Shafi, Whitman-Walker Health CEO; Dr. Sarah Henn, Chief Health Officer; and Rachel McLaughlin, Senior Director of Population Quality. 

Whitman-Walker Health has multiple locations throughout DC and offers “whole-person healthcare” including primary care, behavioral health and substance use treatment, youth programs, gender-affirming and legal services, among others.  In March 2020, the Whitman-Walker team quickly stood up telehealth services and since then has cared for more than 6,500 patients through connected care including medical care, addiction counseling and mental health services.
 
"Community health centers like Whitman-Walker Health are trusted partners for addressing barriers to accessing care and ensuring positive health outcomes for any person who walks through our doors,” said Naseema Shafi, CEO at Whitman-Walker Health.  “At Whitman-Walker, we center our care delivery around a dignifying, respectful experience.  At the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to close many walk-in services and stand up telehealth and COVID specific care.  We turned our entire care model around within 72 hours extending care at a critical time in ways we did not imagine just weeks prior. Since that time, we have provided our patients nearly 21,000 telehealth encounters including visits for medical care, substance use counseling, dental care, mental health, and nutrition and psychiatry services.” 

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel is committed to closing the digital divide and sees access to telehealth care services—especially for underserved and marginalized communities—as a top priority.  To learn more about telehealth efforts at the FCC, including the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and the Connected Care Pilot Program, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/connecting-americans-health-care.

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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).