REACT: Rural eHealth Facilitators

Emily Darlington

Partner
Call for Projects: Erasmus+
Funding Amount: €400,000
2022-2025

For decades, digitisation has been seen as a key solution to the challenges facing welfare systems, offering more sustainable and cost-effective social and health services. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this digitisation, replacing in-person interactions with online alternatives. This rapid transition highlighted challenges related to unequal access, particularly for vulnerable citizens in rural areas, who are often excluded due to a lack of technological resources, digital skills, or motivation—a phenomenon referred to as “digital exclusion.” Those affected by this exclusion are often the same individuals impacted by social exclusion, such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, and rural residents. The REACT project aims to create a “bridge” between regional healthcare providers and vulnerable citizens in rural areas by developing the role of “rural eHealth facilitators.” These facilitators will provide coaching and peer-to-peer learning to enhance access and digital skills for citizens. The overall goal is to contribute to the implementation of the European Social Pillar by preventing social exclusion in rural areas through the development, testing, and promotion of a “rural online health facilitator” with tailored training programmes