The Agriculture Department has made available $153 million for distance learning and telemedicine in rural communities: $62.9 million for distance learning and telemedicine loans, $75 million in loan and grant combinations, and $15 million in grants for rural communities.
Rural residents will be able to take advantage of a variety of health care services and education programs with these systems in place. Telemedicine technology lets physicians examine and direct the treatment of patients from remote treatment centers. The technology gives rural residents access to medical specialists not often available in remote areas. The distance learning program finances equipment to expand educational resources for students and educational institutions in isolated rural areas.
"Telemedicine and distance learning are the foundation on which the quality of education and health care in rural America can and will improve," Agriculture Undersecretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr said in a statement.
USDA for the past five years has invested in distance learning and telemedicine at 3,796 rural educational facilities to expand their access to modern telecommunications technology and 2,226 health care institutions to develop technologies to enhance local medical care.
Government Health IT presents Liesa Jo Jenkins, executive director of CareSpark, in this recent eSeminar, where she shared her experiences and insight into building a health information exchange that enhances community health, rewards regional collaboration and drives economic progress.
