Telemedicine services will be expanded in the Hawaii Health System Corporation's 12 hospitals with a $372,650 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grant will help expand
telemedicine servicesThe $372,650 also will provide
greater access in rural areasStar-Bulletin staff
The funding, awarded to the Hawaii Health Systems Foundation through the USDA's Rural Utilities Service, also will provide greater support for rural communities.
The expanded system is intended to increase telemedicine access to emergency and non-emergency medical consultation services in rural areas by July 1, 2003.
The HHSC will build on its existing technology to link other rural health care agencies, such as Molokai General Hospital and Hana Community Health Center, to the Rural Telemedicine Network.
It also plans to seek new partners, rural residents, education and health care professionals for the network.
"We are very grateful for the support of the USDA," said Thomas M. Driskill, Jr., HHSC president and chief executive officer. "This outcome clearly reflects USDA's ongoing support for community-based health care services."
Driskill said diverse applications of telemedicine in Hawaii's rural communities "will help to ensure everyone has equal access to quality health care services.
The hospital foundation's grant request was one of 87 proposals competing for more than $117 million in federal funding. It received two previous USDA grants for major telemedicine projects.
The HHSC, a state agency, operates 12 hospitals on five islands with 3,200 employees and 1,250 beds.
It is the fourth largest public hospital system in the nation and one of the largest employers in Hawaii.
The foundation was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit entity to raise funds and accept gifts to benefit the hospitals.