While telehealth has been around in some shape or form since the 19th century, the recent COVID Pandemic crisis has thrusted healthcare professionals and businesses across the United States and the world into utilizing digital technology to meet the treatment needs of their clients from a distance and global needs as a society.

Given the limitations of access to technology and a lack of knowledge and skills on the usage of technology, rural communities and economically disadvantaged and racially marginalized populations are not getting their behavioral health needs met in this digital technology age because of inequality and a lack of availability of technology to meet their needs.

It is imperative that healthcare providers be culturally sensitive, aware of the language barriers, and poor socioeconomical conditions that oftentimes in racially marginalized populations contribute to their lack of trust in the system and availability of technology. (Kamphorst, 2017)

Learning Objectives:

• To explain the digital divide and how it impacts individuals in rural communities anddeprived marginalized ethnic groups.
• To be familiar with ethnic groups that are most impacted by the digital divide.
• To identify causal factors of digital divide with individuals with co-occurring disorders in rural communities and marginalized communities (e.g., African Americans, Latinos, American Indians tribes, and elderly population).
• How literacy problems and difficulty with using technology prevent access to telehealth services (these are social justice issues).
• To identify telehealth laws, and be familiar with telehealth codes of ethics.
• To identify specific ethical online issues that occur with these populations from a
• privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity perspectives.
• How to build online therapeutic relationships with these populations and ethnic
• groups.
• Recommended laws and ethical solutions to prevent barriers of timely treatment.

The use of youtube videos, case scenarios, and practice activities will be utilized throughout this live webinar presentation.