|
OREGON HEALTH NETWORK PRESS
RELEASE
For
Immediate Release, November 27, 2007
For
more information contact:
Andy
Davidson, president and CEO
Oregon Association of Hospitals & Health Systems
503.636.2204
Kim Hoffman, Chair
Telehealth Alliance of Oregon
503.970.6125
Oregon Health Network Pilot Project Receives Funds from Historic FCC Program
to Build Telehealth Network Throughout the State
Oregon receives more than $20 million to
interconnect health care facilities
Portland, OR – Communities
from all corners of the state received a significant financial commitment
from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Commission has
allocated up to $20,182,625 over a three-year period to establish the Oregon
Health Network (OHN), which will link more than 300 health care facilities
in urban, rural and frontier communities through broadband connections.
Oregon’s allocation is one of the larger awards from the FCC’s $417 million
Rural Health Care Pilot Program, which is dedicated to the construction of
statewide or regional broadband telehealth networks throughout the country.
The funding allocation is the largest in the FCC’s history.
When
completed, OHN will connect Oregon hospitals, clinics, county public health
offices, physicians, mental health, dental and optical clinics, and health
education institutions, including community colleges, with a level of
interactive service and access once only imagined in rural and underserved
communities. The OHN is designed to be inter-operable with Oregon Public
Safety and Emergency Management networks and Oregon government and education
networks. Spearheaded by the Telehealth Alliance of Oregon, the OHN proposal
resulted from collaboration among more than 150 individuals and
organizations throughout the state. The application to the FCC was submitted
by the Oregon Association of Hospitals Research and Education Foundation.
“Through the participation and support of Oregon hospitals and clinics,
health care providers, educators, and state and federal elected leaders, the
Oregon Health Network will advance access to health care services across
every corner of the state,” said Kimberly Hoffman, chair of the Telehealth
Alliance of Oregon. “OHN has the potential to touch the lives of hundreds of
thousands of Oregonians by bringing improved access to clinical health care
services and health education opportunities, particularly in the state’s
health care workforce shortage areas and medically underserved populations.”
Patients, health care providers, health plans, communities and education
programs all benefit from the OHN. Patients receive access to state of the
art health care in otherwise underserved areas, such as rural communities.
Telemedicine improves collaboration among providers by sharing secure and
confidential access to electronic medical records.
OHN
will also provide the foundation for improved emergency preparedness
applications for hospitals, clinics, private practitioners, public health,
emergency medical services and tribal partners who currently cannot
communicate across jurisdictions during day-to-day operations and
large-scale incidents.
Critical project attention came from the 2007 Legislature when it
unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 20 to promote and facilitate
telecommunication network development. SJR 20 was introduced by Senators
Laurie Monnes Anderson and David Nelson. Also, Oregon Governor Ted
Kulongoski provided a letter of support and Oregon’s entire Congressional
Delegation sent letters and kept in close contact with the FCC during the
application review process.
What does this mean to a
rural Oregon community? In Silverton, in the eastern part of Marion County,
it means access to fiber optic cable that will replace the current T1 copper
telephone lines not adequate to carry an increasing amount of electronic
data. “Since converting to digital imaging, our need for greater bandwidth
continues to grow. Everyday around 3:00 PM, the digital pipeline slows to a
crawl. This delays sending and receiving diagnostic reports and images to
referring physicians who need them,” said Gary Pulsipher, CEO of Silverton
Hospital.
Andy
Davidson, president and CEO of Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health
Systems said, “Oregon’s hospitals will continue to provide the leadership to
ensure that this ground breaking project is successful.”
The
FCC order, adopted November 19, 2007, will become effective on publication
in the Federal Register. Additional information can be found on the
Telehealth Alliance of Oregon web site,
www.ortelehealth.org.
About the Telehealth Alliance of Oregon
The
TAO has adopted five objectives that guide the organization’s initial
services and action plan. They are to:
-
Improve access to high quality health care and other allied services
through Telehealth and Telemedicine.
-
Promote collaborations that advance Telehealth and Telemedicine as a means
for improving the delivery of affordable high quality health care.
-
Provide and promote education to facilitate the understanding of the
possibilities and uses of Telehealth and Telemedicine.
-
Provide and support technical assistance to initiatives that advance
programs of Telehealth and Telemedicine in Oregon. Promote research that
supports appropriate decision-making in the delivery of health care using
technology and telecommunications.
-###-
Key Contacts – Oregon
Health Network
Telehealth Alliance of Oregon
Kim
Hoffman, chair
OHSU Information Technology Group
503.970.6125
OAH Research & Education Foundation
Andy
Davidson, President and CEO
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
503.636.2204
Higher
Education
Jon Dolan
Oregon State University
541.737.5402
Community
Colleges
Art Hill,
VP of Economic Development
Blue Mountain Community College
541.278.5863
Public
Safety
Ann Steeves
HRSA Region 2, Public Safety Coordinator
Samaritan Health Services
541.768.6323
Rural
Hospitals
Don Russo,
Foundation Director
Silverton Hospital
503.873.1790
Telecommunications Vendors
Michael
Weidman, CEO
LS Network
503.294.5300
Ed Parker
President,
Parker Telecommunications
541.764.3058
Health Plans
Janice L
Forrester, PhD
Director Health Care IT
The Regence Group
503.225.6052
Oregon
Medical Association
Scott
Gallant, Executive Director
503.226.1555
Electronic
Health Records
Dr. Jody
Pettit, Health Information Technology Coordinator
Oregon Office of Health Policy & Research
503.706.2208
|
