​The American Red Cross is one of the most prominent and active disaster response organizations in the United States. It responds to an average of 65,000 disasters each year, ranging from small house fires to multi-state natural disasters such as hurricanes, forest fires, floods, and earthquakes.

A disaster response and recovery team consists of professionals, volunteers, and authorities who aim to restore normalcy by addressing the disruption. The response team provides various services to achieve this, including evacuation, meals and supplies, medical attendance, communication restoration, financial assistance, and counselling.

Fast and immediate response aids in reducing loss of life, damage, and disaster escalation by stabilizing the environment. The response and recovery teams provide search, rescue, and medical care, and secure the existing infrastructure to prevent immediate re-occurrence or secondary disasters and minimize long-term loss. For example, earthquake survivors may face secondary disasters such as fires from damaged power lines or further building collapses from secondary tremors. In such a scenario, an immediate response may involve switching off power lines, evacuating buildings, or stabilizing the infrastructure.

Closely related to the first response service, disaster recovery teams also provide food, medical attention, and accommodation to the affected. These include hot meals, water, emergency and pre-hospital medical care, and accommodation options like tents and modular housing. These offerings support response and recovery efforts by mitigating immediate needs such as hunger and thirst, supporting ongoing search and rescue efforts, and providing a sense of safety.

Communication breakdown is a common occurrence during disasters, and urgent restoration of communication channels is critical for the victims to reach out to their loved ones, other survivors, or first responders. Open lines of communication also facilitate coordination between the disaster response teams, mission partners, and other stakeholders like local, state, and federal authorities. Disaster response teams typically set out to restore existing communication lines. If they are irreparable, the teams will often provide alternative channels.

Common emergency communication lines include mobile emergency response support (MERS) detachments and communications office vehicles. MERS, primarily used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), consists of specialized, deployable resources, including teams and equipment, as well as self-sustaining telecommunications and other support during disasters. The voice, data, and video capabilities facilitate faster response and coordination. The equipment operates beyond standard communication lines, and includes satellite, line-of-sight microwave systems, crossbanding technology, and high-frequency radio equipment.

In addition to the core recovery and response team, external assistance often comes from individuals, organizations, businesspeople, and private entities that volunteer and donate money, blood, food, and supplies following disasters. Managing incoming assistance from multiple sources, especially financial and sensitive items like blood, requires a coordinated effort. Response and recovery teams typically set up blood donation centers and official financial remittance channels, publish lists of required items and supplies, and establish volunteer recruitment and deployment centers.

Psychosocial support after disasters helps mitigate the effects of emergencies, especially following the loss of loved ones or property. The common emotional issues associated with disasters include shock, chronic stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Disaster response and recovery teams typically have counselors who offer reassurance, coping mechanisms, resilience-building, and specialized support for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. Psychosocial support forms part of the holistic response aimed at restoring functionality and safety in individuals and the community as a whole.

Long-term recovery is also important. Ongoing support helps quicken recovery and the resumption of normalcy. It also helps build community resilience by supporting social networks among families, neighbors, friends, and even strangers suffering from loss.

​The telemedicine industry is well established in the United States, with the scope of available services constantly revised to reflect the latest metrics, regulatory concerns, and patient use profiles. In June 2025, legislators introduced the bipartisan bill HR 4206, the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025, into the US House of Representatives.

Supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), the bill employs the acronym CONNECT, which stands for Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies. It seeks to enshrine several temporary pandemic measures from 2021, including measures that ensured Medicare recipients had access to telemedicine and telemental services at home, without the need for in-person visits.

The bill seeks to eliminate geographical restrictions on the provision of telehealth services and to allow Medicare patients to conduct telehealth visits wherever stable audio or video connections are available. The bill also aims to repeal the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 requirement that Medicare patients schedule an in-person physician visit within six months of their first telemental health session.

While Congress has consistently extended such flexibilities over the past five years, no steps have been taken to make them permanent. As of early September 2025, the companion bill to the Senate S. 1261 had 63 bipartisan cosponsors, a sign of progress toward enshrinement in law.

If the bill does not pass, the system will revert to what existed pre-COVID-19, with Medicare patients having minimal telemedicine access and no access in the convenience of their own homes. Before the pandemic, those who wanted to use telehealth services needed to live in approved rural areas and travel to an approved originating site for their consultations. This negated a large portion of telemedicine’s benefits, such as providing timely, informative care in the most convenient location.

Should waivers disappear and regulatory payment flexibilities be eliminated, patients would have less convenient, less accessible health care. This is no small matter for providers. Some 74 percent of physicians work in practices with telehealth, a threefold increase from before the pandemic.

Sanford Health, based in South Dakota, represents the nation’s most extensive rural health system and meets the needs of two million patients annually across 250,000 square miles. Two-thirds of those who rely on telemedicine are 30 miles or more from a major medical center. On average, patient travel is reduced by 176 miles each year through virtual care. In addition, 20 percent of behavioral health patients complete appointments via virtual visits, which have reached nearly a million over the past decade.

This integration of telehealth into the fabric of American health care extends to many providers, with AB 688, California’s Telehealth for All Act of 2025, requiring analyses and reports on telehealth utilization and access in the Medi-Cal program every two years, providing metrics that enable broader, more efficient use of telehealth. In addition, several bills have passed a single California chamber, including one that offers real-time telemedicine perinatal and neonatal consultations to maternity patients who live more than an hour from the nearest rural hospital.

Another bill in process seeks to create a CalHHS Data Exchange Board to improve oversight of data shared among government agencies and healthcare entities. This is particularly critical in an age of telemedicine, when specialists at various hospitals and clinics may be involved in resolving complex single-patient cases.

​Since its founding three decades ago, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has advanced access to quality, affordable telehealth by overcoming geographical limitations via communication technology. As a nonprofit organization with more than 400 member organizations, ATA fosters cross-sector collaboration among healthcare providers, academic institutions, technology firms, and insurers.

ATA prioritizes educating clinicians, patients, and policymakers on telehealth's benefits to drive widespread adoption. Its core values—transparency, trust-building, and outcome-driven innovation—shape its operations, partnerships, and policy initiatives.

Various guiding principles further shape the ATA's work. Quality improvement ensures telehealth aligns with evidence-based clinical standards to elevate safety and patient satisfaction. Equitable access mandates competent care delivery, addressing disparities in language, socioeconomic status, and health literacy. Accessibility and affordability initiatives focus on dismantling financial and technical obstacles through equitable reimbursement models, transparent pricing, and digital inclusion efforts.

The association also champions a patient-first care philosophy, emphasizing health outcomes over profit motives. To bridge the skills gap, it advocates for clinician training in telehealth platforms and emerging tools such as artificial intelligence (AI). ATA also aims to ensure telehealth applications strictly comply with state and federal regulations.

ATA also encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to expand research capabilities, improve problem-solving, and enhance the credibility of telehealth studies. Experts from various fields contribute diverse insights, broadening the understanding of telehealth challenges and opportunities.

ATA’s webinars address current healthcare topics, challenges, and solutions, e.g., optimizing healthcare capacity and access via digital strategies. Discussions focus on future-proofing care access by tackling clinician shortages and health disparities and exploring innovative telehealth applications beyond traditional doctor-patient consultations.

ATA's Podcast series, 'Healthy. Virtually. Uncensored.' presents candid discussions on telehealth and its impact on the healthcare industry. Episodes feature interviews with industry leaders and stakeholders, exploring issues regarding technology's role in quality care and access, generative AI's impact on care, digital diabetes management, and the challenges and benefits of expanded virtual care services.

Practice guidelines related to telehealth are another valuable resource ATA provides. The Credentialing by Proxy Guidebook streamlines the credentialing process for telemedicine practitioners. The Health Industry Cybersecurity guide offers cybersecurity best practices. ATA also offers specialized guidelines for fields such as telepathology, primary care, telerehabilitation, teleICU operations, and ocular telehealth. Toolkits for state-level telemedicine practices and communities facilitate data sharing and discussions.

Support advances ATA's mission. ATA welcomes individuals and organizations to shape future healthcare innovation. Membership provides opportunities for a collaborative effort, e.g., to participate in telehealth policy through advocacy efforts and data collection to drive telehealth progress. Members also engage in professional networks, special interest groups (SIG), state forums, and regional chapters.

In return, members enjoy various benefits such as access to networking events and educational tools, telehealth legislation and regulatory updates, and professional development opportunities. ATA also recognizes telehealth innovation and access expansion through awards such as the ATA Leadership in Care Transformation and the ATA SIG Leadership Award.

Besides awards, ATA hosts online gatherings and one in-person conference focused on various aspects of telehealth. These convene experts and professionals to examine telehealth progress and challenges in areas like mental health services delivered remotely, virtual nursing care, and pediatric telehealth. ATA Nexus, the flagship event, focuses on the future of virtual care and features research presentations, in-depth sessions, and workshops.

​The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is an organization dedicated fully to advancing telehealth in the United States. The organization’s membership includes healthcare delivery systems, technology systems providers, academic institutions, and partner organizations. All these work together to increase the adoption of telehealth through targeted education and awareness initiatives as well as government advocacy. 

In December 2024, ATA launched the Center of Digital Excellence (CODE), an innovative initiative geared toward advancing quality virtual care. The new program put ATA at the forefront of developing and implementing best practices in virtual care, prioritizing patient care and health equity. 

CODE is a common platform that brings together top healthcare organizations and industry leaders to collaborate, innovate, and share informational resources on telehealth. Through it, healthcare organizations can share best practices and success stories on implementing virtual care, give program tours, host onsite workshops, and even share toolkits with others. They get to benchmark and learn from one another on the best approaches for implementing telehealth, shortening the learning curve that usually comes with new technology systems.  

CODE not only enables collaboration but also supports the crystallization of the insights generated by members into a set of standards for digital care delivery. It does this through the Provider Telehealth Engagement Model (PTEM), which is a framework for establishing benchmarking standards for virtual care. 

PTEM offers standardized metrics by which healthcare organizations can measure and compare the efficacy of their virtual care programs. It also provides roadmaps and workflow models that healthcare organizations can use to scale their virtual care services effectively. PTEM aligns virtual care implementation efforts by different healthcare organizations, ensuring high-quality patient care across different digital systems. 

Speaking after the launch of CODE, ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson confirmed ATA’s intention of having leading healthcare systems establish standard models for integrating virtual care into the broader healthcare ecosystem. She affirmed that telehealth was no longer a periphery service but rather a crucial part of in-person care, closing gaps where traditional care is inaccessible. Hence, together with the founding healthcare systems of CODE, ATA was setting the standard for enhancing, extending, and equalizing care.   

CODE’s founding healthcare systems include MedStar Health, Mayo Clinic, Ochsner Health, Sanford Health, and Stanford Health Care. Others include Intermountain Health, OSF HealthCare, West Virginia University Medicine Children’s Hospital, and UPMC. These are the organizations that will commence sharing strategies and insights on digital care delivery on CODE. ATA will welcome other organizations into CODE on a case-by-case basis. Admission requirements are set by the founding organizations. CODE’s solution providers include AvaSure and Access TeleCare. 

Healthcare organizations interested in becoming part of CODE can apply at https://info.americantelemed.org/center-of-digital-excellence. ATA’s team will review each application and decide on admission. Once admitted, an organization will enjoy access to case studies on virtual care, workshops, industry reports highlighting leading programs, and even exclusive tours of these leading programs. Other benefits of joining CODE include virtual care policy recommendations, access to helpful frameworks and toolkits, and recognition opportunities for standout digital care delivery systems. 

To steer CODE toward its mission of delivering actionable outputs that set standards in digital care, ATA appointed Elissa Baker, BSN, as senior vice president, digital strategy and clinical innovation. Her office will work with CODE members to position it as a catalyst for remodeling the digital care terrain. 

As CODE grows, ATA will broaden its reach by hosting events and summits to democratize knowledge sharing and give guidance on telehealth to the larger healthcare industry. It will also publish CODE insights on ATA’s Member Connection, making them accessible to all ATA members.

​The United States added a record 32.4 GW of solar energy capacity in 2023, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). This was the highest ever amount of solar capacity added to the country’s grid in one year. Solar actually accounted for 53 percent of new electricity generation capacity in 2023, the first time in eight decades that more than half of new capacity was renewable.

A big reason for this huge gain was the Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $369 billion for investing in clean energy manufacturing and production. It also created large tax credits for rooftop solar installation.

According to SEIA, total US solar energy capacity at the end of 2023 stood at 177 GW. If the strong pace of new solar installations continues, the United States will reach 637 GW of solar capacity by 2034. This is enough capacity to power over 100 million homes.

California currently leads the United States in terms of solar generation capacity with 39.72 GW. Texas is second with 17.24 GW, and Florida is third with 10.11 GW. Rounding out the top five are North Carolina (8.17 GW) and Arizona (6.33 GW).

​The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), an organization focused on boosting the use and adoption of telehealth, announced new Principles of Practice: Telehealth as an Imperative Modality of Care. It made the announcement in May 2024 at the ATA Nexus 2024 Annual Conference.

The ATA Clinician Council designed the principles to help address barriers affecting the broad adoption of telehealth and virtual care delivery. It believes in educating the public, patients, clinicians, policymakers, and payers regarding the benefits of adopting telehealth. The ATA also aims to provide evidence-based guidelines for appropriately utilizing telehealth across any clinical discipline.

Each principle emphasizes telehealth as an essential technology that addresses healthcare system gaps and uses telehealth to transform healthcare delivery. In addition, the standards of patient care improve when clinicians adopt and administer telehealth care in an appropriate, ethical, and legal manner.

According to Ann Mond Johnson, the CEO of ATA, the principles help reinforce ATA's mandate in driving policy, managing the expectations of current and prospective members, and collaborating with other organizations.

​Light emitting diode (LED) lighting technology is one of the top technological advances in the lighting industry. These types of lights are produced with small, light, and solid bulbs. The type of bulbs utilized in the manufacture of LED lights allows them to last up to 60,000 hours, many times longer than other types of lighting. There are numerous applications of LED lighting technology.

One of the most common uses of LED lighting is in hospitals. In a guideline published by the American Institute of Architects in 2006, the institute recommended the use of LED light bulbs to replace all lighting fixtures that contain mercury. Various hospital areas come with their own unique LED lighting requirements, from treatment areas to wards and operating theaters. The use of LED lighting in the hospital helps improve energy efficiency, as they require much less energy for a given lumen output.

Also, the durability and energy efficiency benefits of LED lights make them the best fit for traffic lights, exit signs, and street lights. LED lights are also higher visibility in bright daylight situations. Consequently, they are the best option for use in vehicle brake lights and head lights.

Furthermore, modern showrooms are increasingly using LED lighting. This is coming as showrooms are increasingly looking for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly ways to save money. Clothing, automotive, and electronics and appliance showroom owners now use LED lights to efficiently illuminate their spaces, as well as highlight specific products or product features in showrooms.

​World Cares Center (WCC) is an organization with a mission to build a world where every citizen is a ready responder, equipped with the tools to help themselves and their neighbors during disasters. The organization also works with communities around the world to provide relief during disasters and calamities.

WCC has been active in Ukraine since the onset of the Ukraine war in 2022. The organization started by bringing together a Ukraine Service Providers Roundtable to promote collaborations between different agencies and coordinate support for refugees. The roundtable is active to date, connecting agencies on the ground to critical funding and resources.

Weeks into the war, WCC went further and deployed team members to Lviv, Ukraine. The team set up medical clinics in half a dozen refugee camps. From there, they provided refugees with medical care, giving specialty care to women and children. WCC further donated medical supplies, therapy booklets, and new clothes to its partners on the ground.

Beyond physical needs, mental health challenges become a major problem during war. Recognizing this, WCC set up resiliency workshops where its team members used healing journals to help parents and children cope. The organization has distributed about 1,000 healing materials to families in Ukraine.

​The field of medical informatics, propelled by the exponential growth of electronic health record (EHR) adoption, is revolutionizing healthcare delivery through the strategic use of healthcare data. One key aspect of EHR utilization is its role as a valuable resource for population health research and analytics.

EHRs enable researchers to analyze trends and patterns in disease prevalence and risk factors. By leveraging EHR data, researchers can gain insights into the association between various environmental factors and health outcomes, leading to more targeted interventions and preventive measures.

In addition to population health research, EHR data plays a crucial role in health data analytics. Such analytics allow healthcare providers to systematically integrate internal data with external evidence to drive improvements in care delivery. By aggregating data from multiple institutions, researchers can enhance the clinical value of their analyses and inform evidence-based practices.

The strategic use of EHR data in clinical informatics holds great potential to improve patient outcomes and advance the understanding of disease prevention and management.

​The American Telehealth Association (ATA) is committed to advancing telehealth services nationwide, giving everyone access to safe and affordable health care. With the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in telehealth, ATA published its AI principles. These will guide telehealth providers, system developers, and regulators on how to deploy or support the deployment of AI in health care in a trustworthy way, optimizing patient safety and treatment outcomes.

ATA grouped its AI principles by component:

1. Accountability and engagement. AI can streamline work and should be integrated into clinical decision-making. However, providers must adhere to applicable standards of care and even institute accountability mechanisms for positive overall health outcomes.

2. Transparency. Telehealth providers should disclose to patients how AI systems process, share, and store patient data.

3. Safeguards against bias. Telehealth providers should publicly provide evidence showing that their AI-powered systems are free from bias. They should further develop and implement policies to promote exposure and correction of bias in these systems.

4. Workforce education. To fully realize the power of AI, healthcare learning institutions should educate their students on the importance of integrating AI into healthcare delivery. Professional workforce development programs should also include AI training.

5. Regulatory guardrails. Federal and state policymakers should enact unified regulations governing the integration and use of AI in healthcare. This will ensure uniform compliance by AI system developers, telehealth providers, and healthcare researchers. The laws should also align with international healthcare standards and be risk-based, not to stifle innovation unjustly.