‘Health for all’: ViVE 2026 addresses equity in care

The ViVE digital health conference may highlight AI and other cutting-edge technologies, but the event also aims to foster discussions on longtime disparities in healthcare.

The conference, which takes place later this month in Los Angeles, will provide a number of panels addressing health equity and the need to expand access to underserved communities. The event is produced by HLTH, which also runs the annual HLTH conference in the fall, and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

Rich Scarfo, president of HLTH, says that those discussions are a critical part of the event, even as some health systems have had to rebrand health equity efforts.

“Regardless of the terms that people can or cannot use anymore, health equity has been something that for us, has been ingrained in just what we do,” Scarfo says.

“We've integrated health equity once again into our program,” Scarfo says. “We look at it as health for all. It's very important not only to look at the business side of healthcare, but to look at the impact that it has on individuals, and if we don't take care of those most in need, I don't know what the point of all of this really is.”

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The event partners with the National Association of Community Health Centers, which will be bringing in leaders from health centers from across the country.

Some of the discussions at ViVE include digital tools and women’s health, strengthening public health and improving access to rural health.

In December, the federal government issued its first grants in the Rural Health Transformation Program; the program will distribute $50 billion over the next five years. Scarfo says it’s a welcome recognition of the problems facing those communities.

“There is definitely a big enough problem that a huge amount of money from the government is being placed on this to help individuals with either access issues or those who just are in most need,” he says.

The ViVE conference takes place Feb. 22-25 in Los Angeles. Chief Healthcare Executive® will be reporting from ViVE.

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