June 14, 2011 — Opportunities for Wyoming rural residents to receive additional health services will be bolstered with the addition of high-speed Internet connections in 37 Wyoming hospitals and mental health clinics.
The University of Wyoming’s Center for Rural Health Research and Education (CRHRE) sponsors the connections with a grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and using Qwest as a vendor. The connection is a joint project with the Wyoming Telehealth Consortium in an effort to bring health care to rural Wyoming residents. The system already has been used for several medical consultations.
“This (telehealth) opens up an opportunity for Wyomingites in rural areas to receive specialty medical care or mental health care without having to travel great distances and incur lost wages through having to take time away from work,” says Rex Gantenbein, CRHRE director in the UW College of Health Sciences . “It also allows smaller Critical Access Hospitals the means to provide specialty care and keep patients in their home towns.”
