Contact: Addie Mayfield
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A $15,000 gift from the Verizon Foundation will fund a yearlong project to expand telehealth education in the Magnolia State.
The project will be a collaboration between the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Center for Telehealth.
Telehealth is the use of digital technologies to deliver medical care, health education and public health services by connecting multiple users in separate locations.
Specifically, the gift is supporting outreach activities conducted by Chip Templeton, the Extension Service's telehealth education manager.
Staff members at UMMC's Center for Telehealth will be working with rural healthcare providers to help them meet specific criteria vital to the establishment of various telehealth programs. The project will increase awareness and accessibility of telehealth programs and allow more Mississippi residents access to timely and quality healthcare.
"These funds from the Verizon Foundation support Mississippi State's dedication to address and meet outreach goals as well as continually strive to increase the quality of life in Mississippi," said Gary Jackson, MSU Extension Service director.
"Telehealth will also serve as a tool for economic development and recruitment of businesses and industries as it connects rural communities to healthcare providers and helps eliminate concerns many businesses and industries may have about locating in our state," he explained.
The gift marks initial support for MSU by the St. Petersburg, Florida-based foundation. As the philanthropic division of the global communications and technology network, it works to resolve social issues in education, healthcare and energy management, predominantly in underserved communities.
The collaborative MSU-UMCC program will focus on three primary components, including:
--Promotion of various forms of telehealth to increase understanding of the technology and its benefits;
--Encouragement for rural hospitals and clinics to take advantage of funding mechanisms to improve their telecommunications capability and availability, potentially leading to more established telehealth programs; and
--Assistance to participants in completing telehealth continuing education units available online.
Roberto Gallardo, who leads the Extension Service's Intelligent Community Institute, and David Buys, Extension health specialist with the MSU Food Science Nutrition and Health Promotion Department, will oversee the project.
"The primary role of the MSU Extension Service will be to reach out to communities to increase awareness about telehealth and work with the UMMC Center for Telehealth to deploy telehealth capabilities when applicable and available," Gallardo said.
For more information on the project, contact Templeton at 662-418-2812 or chipt@ext.msstate.edu.
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