Congressman Aderholt Announces Funding for Telehealth

WASHINGTON,DC-Attached, please see a list of health centers in Alabama (highlighted in red) that have received funding from the FCC for telemedicine.  The Parrish location is in the 4^th District.

“Lack of access to telehealth services has long been an issue for rural areas including my own district, and this problem has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. This FCC award will go a long way in helping residents of North Alabama who need to stay connected to their healthcare providers to receive the care they need. I am committed to building on this progress to improve telehealth services across Alabama. “ – Robert Aderholt

FCC APPROVES SEVENTH SET OF

COVID-19 TELEHEALTH PROGRAM APPLICATIONS

Commission Continues Approving Telehealth Funding During Coronavirus Pandemic, Surpasses $50 Million in Total Funding

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau today approved an additional 43 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program.  Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $16.87 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic.  To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved funding for 132 health care providers in 33 states plus Washington, DC for a total of just over $50 million in funding.

Below is a list of health care providers that were approved for funding:

• Advance Community Health, in Raleigh, North Carolina, was awarded $690,671 to fund an integrated telemedicine system, remote monitoring devices, and networking equipment to provide COVID-19 testing, drive-up and curbside pharmacy services, and remote monitoring to address the risk factors that make vulnerable patients more susceptible to COVID-19.

• Aspire Health Partners, in Orlando, Florida, was awarded $173,037 for connected devices, a patient safety platform, and network equipment upgrades to support the increased need for telehealth services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was awarded $108,306 for laptops and other telehealth equipment for the treatment of patients telephonically and through video telehealth so medical providers, nurses, and medical assistants can work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and patients can receive consultations and treatment without having to leave their homes.

• Bridgeport Hospital, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was awarded $938,960 for medical carts and other telehealth equipment for intensive care to treat patients with chronic and acute illness in a manner that mitigates possible exposure to COVID-19.

• BronxCare Health System, in Bronx, New York, was awarded $539,797 for connected devices, video equipment, and network upgrades to provide voice and video patient consultations as well as remote patient diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring in one of the areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

• Capstone Rural Health Center, in Parrish, Alabama, was awarded $165,478 for telemedicine carts, computers, and diagnostic equipment to provide personalized care during the coronavirus crisis by integrating cameras, displays, and network access to bring remote physicians to the patient.

• Children’s National Hospital, in Washington, D.C., was awarded $928,183 for telemedicine carts, tablets and other connected devices, a telehealth platform, and other telehealth equipment to treat seriously ill COVID-19 pediatric patients, as well as patients up to 30 years old, and to continue to provide evaluations, diagnoses, and care to patients with acute or chronic health needs via telemedicine.

• Christ Health Center, in Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded $631,612 for laptop computers, a telehealth platform, and other telehealth equipment to expand its capacity for telehealth and move to a full telehealth model while the COVID-19 crisis persists, and to implement telemedicine and teleconferencing solutions for patient care and education.

• Clinica Colorado, in Westminster, Colorado, was awarded $10,231 for connected devices and network enhancements to provide telehealth via telephone and video conferencing for patients with chronic and acute conditions and to assess if patients need to be directed to a COVID-19 testing facility.

• CommuniHealth Services Bastrop Family Practice, in Bastrop, Louisiana, was awarded $102,016 for laptops and connected medical devices to enable telehealth services to treat patients with COVID-19, in addition to providing treatment for chronic disease management, mental health counseling, medication management, and other basic acute medical services.

• Community Health Care, in Davenport, Iowa, was awarded $799,305 for computers, laptops, telemedicine carts, remote diagnostic and monitoring equipment, and a telehealth platform to safely test for COVID-19 and, because many COVID-19 patients also have underlying health conditions, to act as the primary care provider for those patients needing routine follow up and chronic disease management.

• Cooper University Health, in Camden, New Jersey, was awarded $506,284 to support the purchase of a telehealth platform, and video and telemedicine equipment, to evaluate patients with symptoms of COVID-19 and to allow health care professionals to determine patient treatment in a safe setting for both the patient and professional.

• Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties, in Wooster, Ohio, was awarded $28,270 for a telehealth platform and related equipment to remotely treat patients suffering from major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, and substance abuse to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

• East Alabama Medical Center, in Opelika, Alabama, was awarded $69,909 for connected devices and telehealth software to care for patients with infectious conditions or significant comorbidities using telehealth.

• Eprine Community Services, in Brooklyn, New York, was awarded $86,386 for connected devices, laptops, and other telehealth equipment to ensure patient access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding the use of telehealth, including telephone interaction and video-based evaluation and management health services.

• Florida Community Health Centers, in West Palm Beach, Florida, was awarded $884,116 for telehealth kiosks, connected devices, and remote monitoring equipment to provide video consultation, remote treatment, remote monitoring, and a platform for patients to participate in routine follow-up visits, off-site care management services, and other services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Foundation Behavioral Health Services, in Celina, Ohio, was awarded $19,965 for connected devices and data service upgrades so behavioral health and substance use treatments will be available via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Goodwill NYNJ Clinic, in New York, New York, was awarded $435,879 for connected devices, cellular data plans, and hotspots to allow patients and providers to interact via voice and video platforms to avoid the need for in-person meetings to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

• Greenwich Hospital, in Greenwich, Connecticut, was awarded $462,797 for telehealth carts and other telehealth equipment to deploy telehealth intensive care capability to continuously monitor patients while minimizing direct patient contact, and to be able to conduct remote patient screening and patient education about COVID-19.

• Hunterdon Drug Awareness, in Flemington, New Jersey, was awarded $37,571 for computers, laptops, connected devices, telehealth equipment, and software licenses to provide mental health, substance abuse, and psychiatric services using telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Irvington Counseling Center, in Irvington, New Jersey, was awarded $17,124 for computers and connected devices to permit social workers and psychiatrists to use voice and video for counseling and medication monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Jefferson Parish Community Health Care Centers, in Avondale, Louisiana, was awarded $188,500 for computers and monitoring devices to provide telehealth in hard to reach communities in the greater New Orleans area, including remote monitoring services to provide quality care to chronically ill patients at high risk for COVID-19.

• Knoxville Adult Center, in Knoxville, Tennessee, was awarded $249,773 for computer, laptops, and other connected devices to provide mental health, addiction, social, and victim services via telehealth at 17 sites throughout East Tennessee during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Lawrence Memorial Hospital, in New London, Connecticut, was awarded $384,024 for telehealth carts and other remote diagnostic equipment to provide patient screening and reduce in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and to conduct high priority intensive care telehealth capabilities.

• Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center, in Portland, Oregon, was awarded $368,912 for telemedicine carts, tablets, and remote diagnostic equipment to treat and monitor hospitalized patients in intensive care units and emergency departments, and to allow specialty and sub-specialty providers to safely treat and monitor patients at multiple facilities using telehealth.

• Lincoln County Primary Care Center, in Hamlin, West Virginia, was awarded $967,304 for telehealth carts, network hardware and software upgrades, and diagnostic equipment to provide patients with greater access to care through high-quality video and voice consultations at 18 rural sites in West Virginia and thus allow providers to maximize the use of PPE with fewer staff having direct patient contact for COVID-19 testing.

• Lynn County Hospital District, in Tahoka, Texas, was awarded $127,980 for connected devices, a telemedicine platform, portable teleclinic briefcase, and other telehealth equipment to decrease patient and healthcare workers’ exposure to the COVID-19 virus, reduce routine patient visits to the hospital, and allow for continued patient care, decrease patient traffic and healthcare worker caseloads, and reduce PPE use.

• Marietta Memorial Hospital, in Marietta, Ohio, was awarded $473,159 for telehealth carts, connected devices, and remote monitoring equipment to safely diagnose and treat geriatric patients by having crisis staff available via telemedicine to support and treat patients in their own environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Marin City Health and Wellness Center, in Marin City, California, was awarded $162,207 for computers, tablets, connected devices, and remote monitoring equipment to maintain primary care services for vulnerable patients in a safe environment, maintain the safety of frontline health care workers, and allow resources to be dedicated towards the treatment and testing of COVID-19 patients.

• Metro Health-University of Michigan Health, in Wyoming, Michigan, was awarded $356,597 for laptops and tablets, network upgrades and telehealth software, and licenses to conduct primary and specialty care using video and voice consultations as well as remote monitoring to treat patients during the COVID-19 crisis.

• North Suffolk Mental Health Association, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, was awarded $56,786 for laptops, tablets, and other connected devices to provide video and telephonic telehealth services to patients throughout an area with the highest prevalence of COVID-19-infected patients in Massachusetts and to ensure the highest diagnostic accuracy, safety assessment, and treatment planning.

• Novant Health Consortium, in Winston Salem, North Carolina, was awarded $1,000,000 for monitors, cameras, connected devices, phones, and other telehealth equipment and software to deploy to multiple hospital sites for telehealth intensive care units, remote treatment and monitoring of COVID-19 patients in isolation and quarantine, video consultations, and other telemedicine applications.

• NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, in Brooklyn, New York, was awarded $1,000,000 for telemedicine carts, connected devices, and remote monitoring devices to provide video consultations, remote treatment, and other home monitoring capabilities and follow up for patients with COVID-19.

• Preferred Behavioral Health Group, in Lakewood, New Jersey, was awarded $420,675 for laptops, phones, and remote access software to offer video and voice consultations and to conduct remote monitoring of patients under treatment for mental health and substance use issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Ritter Center, in San Rafael, California, was awarded $133,445 for laptops, connected devices, smart monitors, and connected diagnostic equipment for primary health care, behavioral health psychotherapy, specialty care coordination, and other care and treatment of COVID-19 vulnerable patients through telehealth.

• Rutgers Community Health Center, in Newark, New Jersey, was awarded $21,434 to provide medical care and telepsychiatry to its patients living with HIV/AIDS, and pediatric, adult, and geriatric primary care through voice and video consultations, and remote treatment and Internet-connected personal safety devices to its most high-risk patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Saratoga Hospital Consortium, in Saratoga Springs, New York, was awarded $61,515 for connected devices, remote diagnosis and monitoring equipment, and other telehealth equipment to treat patients with COVID-19 infection and to expand telehealth to other patients with symptoms of COVID-19 infection, as well as those with chronic medical conditions.

• Spectrum Human Services, in Orchard Park, New York, was awarded $463,866 for laptops and other connected devices to provide urgent medical care using telehealth resources to divert unnecessary hospital presentations and reserve hospital-based services for individuals who need heightened levels of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, in Paterson, New Jersey, was awarded $472,059 for a telehealth platform, monitors, cameras, laptops, and other connected devices for remote treatment and monitoring and video and voice patient consultations at several hospitals in New Jersey to treat patients with COVID-19.

• Joseph Orphanage, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded $228,619 for connected devices and video conferencing equipment to provide critical telehealth services, such as same-day emergent appointments, as well as immediate access to psychiatric services by videoconferencing and telephone to allow clients and families to remain safely at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Urban Health Plan, in Bronx, New York, was awarded $873,202 for monitors and other telehealth equipment to deliver primary and specialty medical care using digital technology for patient assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, monitoring, prevention, and education to address illness or injury.

• Windrose Health Network, in Greenwood, Indiana, was awarded $223,720 for laptops, telehealth equipment, and other network improvements to enable distanced patient treatment for acute care appointments as well as medically appropriate chronic disease follow-up appointments to avoid spread of the COVID-19 virus.

• Yale New Haven Hospital, in New Haven, Connecticut, was awarded $1,000,000 for telehealth equipment to use with surgical and intensive care visits to minimize exposure to the COVID-19 virus while performing essential medical procedures.

To learn more about the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program and view a complete list of funding recipients to date, visit https://www.fcc.gov/covid19telehealth.  To learn more about the FCC’s Keep Americans Connected Initiative, visit https://www.fcc.gov/keepamericansconnected.

Media Release/Clark Carson /Office of Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt