A system under pressure
For Americans living in rural communities, where hospital closures have left residents with few healthcare options, nurses and community health workers are often the first and sometimes only connection to the health system. They often do the jobs of many, managing patient outreach, scheduling, screenings, referrals and administrative tasks with little support, which can compromise the time they can spend with patients.
New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have the potential to streamline administrative tasks and workflows, giving health workers more time to deliver in-person care. Yet implementation can be expensive and time-consuming and already overextended rural health systems risk lagging in AI adoption, limiting the benefits for the local workforce and community.
Investing in rural health with Google.org
To help bridge the adoption gap, the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Foundation has committed $5 million to support the use of AI tools among health workers in rural communities as part of a coordinated initiative with
Google.org, which will match the investment. The combined $10 million will be deployed over three years to help rural health workers build practical AI skills so they can spend more time caring for patients.
“By aligning resources with Google.org, we’re helping equip health workers in rural communities with the latest AI innovations and training that support, not replace, the human connection at the heart of care,” Howard Reid, Global Head of Global Health Equity at Johnson & Johnson and Chairman of the J&J Foundation. “We believe AI has tremendous potential to advance human health, and collaborations like this can help address the challenges that health workers, health systems and patients are facing.”
The J&J Foundation and Google.org will independently fund organizations that equip health teams in rural communities with practical skills and tools designed to strengthen the health workforce. Together, they are focusing on solutions that improve workflows and reduce administrative burdens so health workers can deliver care to their communities.
“New technologies have the potential to ease burdens on health workers, but without focused investment, the benefits for communities will be uneven and existing inequities will widen,” said Alice Lin‑Fabiano, President of the J&J Foundation. “By facilitating the adoption of practical AI tools, these investments aim to ensure health workers in rural communities have the support and resources needed to translate innovation into better care for their patients.”
Turning innovation into impact
This is just one way that Johnson & Johnson is helping harness the latest technologies and its scale to help bring forward innovative solutions that improve care for patients, including in rural communities. Last year, J&J and the J&J Foundation announced its commitment to focus efforts on supporting a thriving health workforce through J&J CareCommunity, a social impact platform that champions nurses and community health workers to help accelerate access to quality care. Achieving these goals depends on equitable access to technology so health workers and health systems can fully benefit from its operational support and advancements.
Across the U.S., J&J Impact Ventures, an impact investment fund within the J&J Foundation, is supporting solutions that help health workers stay connected to patients and extend care beyond traditional settings. Health clinics are using the CareMessage platform to automate patient outreach, helping individuals stay engaged and on track throughout their care journey. In West Texas, Hamilton Health Box is expanding access through prefabricated clinics staffed by local nurses and connected to remote physicians via telehealth, enabling diagnosis, prescriptions and specialist referrals.
This approach extends globally. In Kenya, the J&J Foundation supports the Community Health Impact Coalition’s (CHIC) efforts to professionalize community health workers, including by supporting an AI Literacy course for community health worker. Designed by Digital Bridge, the course helps train health workers around the opportunities created by AI tools and fosters trust in new technologies.
Through J&J CareCommunity, Johnson & Johnson and the J&J Foundation are putting cutting-edge tools in the hands of health workers to close the gap between communities and care.
