Gray Television to use Google funding toward health coverage in Mississippi Delta, Appalachia

(Gray News) - Google will help fund a new project Gray Television is undertaking to tackle pervasive health issues in two regions of the U.S., the two companies announced Tuesday.

Gray will soon launch “Bridging the Great Health Divide – Mississippi Delta and Appalachia,” thanks in part to funding made available from the Google News Initiative’s Innovation Challenge.

The Mississippi Delta and Appalachia both fare far worse than the national average in health indicators and outcomes. The project will explore why health disparities exist, with a focus on long term and sustainable solutions.

The project will involve journalists from more than 25 Gray Television stations, the DC Bureau and National Investigative Unit. Gray Television owns this station and website.

“We’re proud to launch this initiative and give a voice to these underrepresented populations that have long lagged in basic health care,” said Gray Chairman and CEO Hilton H. Howell Jr. “We also aim to provide resources to help people make better informed decisions on health-related issues.”

The project, launching in 2021, is one of 30 Google announced it had selected for funding. Only two other local broadcast companies also received funding.

Google launched the Innovation Challenge in 2018 to help support quality local journalism in a digital age.

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