The 250,000 residents in the Illinois Delta Region comprised of 16 counties live mostly in rural areas with each county classified as medically underserved by HRSA www.hrsa.gov. As a result, a telemedicine network is needed to improve provider access and diagnostic communications.
To help the Illinois Delta Region, USDA’s Rural Development www.rd.usda.gov program provides financial assistance to help the continual unmet health needs in the Delta Region. A Delta Health Care Services Grant www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants for $488,364 was just awarded to Southern Illinois Health Care (SIH) based in Carbondale IL.
SIH will work with three of their hospitals, other hospitals, and healthcare organizations to create the Southern Illinois Telemedicine Initiative. The funding will enable SIH to purchase equipment and make physical upgrades for a peer-to-peer network.
The Telemedicine network will initially connect seven rural hospitals, including four critical access hospitals, plus the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, the Illinois Hospital Association, and Connect SI to deliver education, a diagnosis, and/or medicine between remote locations via telecommunication in real-time.
The initial work will require comprehensive resources to bring advanced stroke diagnosis and treatment to each of the organizations in the telehealth network. The project will also create structure for additional significant needs in a variety of specialties ranging from fetal ultrasound to behavioral health.