Adena grant will help better serve health needs of underserved in southcentral Ohio

Adena grant will help better serve health needs of underserved in southcentral Ohio 

Adena Health System was recently chosen to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Telemedicine program -- one of 47 health care organizations from across the country to be awarded.

The $226,467 grant, which was approved earlier this month, is part of some $28 million in funding earmarked for telemedicine projects and distance learning throughout the U.S.

“We’re pleased to receive this much-needed funding, which will go a long way in providing healthcare technology to eight hospitals and healthcare clinics in some of the poorest parts of south-central Ohio,” said Mark Shuter, Adena’s president and chief executive officer.

The grant will be used to purchase mobile videoconferencing and telemedicine equipment, including high-definition video and audio equipment, which will be distributed to the eight sites to assist staff in diagnosing and treating patients, and to help provide continuing medical education.

All of the sites are located in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, and poverty levels in the target communities exceed the national averages, Shuter said.

Once in place, the hospitals and clinics will be added to the Southern Ohio Health Care Network, a partnership of the region’s three largest healthcare providers – Adena, O’Bleness Health System and Holzer Consolidated Health Systems. Adena Medical Center will serve as the hub for the project.

Shuter said he is hopeful that by including these eight hospitals and clinics into SOHCN young health professionals will be encouraged to practice in those underserved areas. Funding also will be used to provide continuing medical education to clinic staffs and promote preventive health care.

Applying for this USDA Telemedicine grant follows the approval last year of $16 million in Federal Communications Commission funding for construction of the SOHCN, Shuter said.

Since then, SOHCN has contracted with Horizon Telcom for construction of a fiber optic network across 13 counties in southern Ohio.

The following hospitals and clinics will benefit from the USDA Telemedicine grant: 

• Family Healthcare, Middleport

• Family HealthCare, McArthur

• Jackson-Vinton Community Action Health Services

• Doctors Hospital Nelsonville

• Albany Medical Clinic

• Greenfield Area Medical Center

• Highland District Hospital

• Highland Family Medicine

Adena Health System is an independent, not-for-profit and locally controlled health care organization serving the needs of 10 counties in southcentral Ohio and employing more than 2,000 people. Adena provides specialty services typically found in larger medical centers, like open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, cancer care and advanced orthopedic procedures, including reverse shoulder surgery, total joint replacement and minimally invasive spine surgery. The health system is based in Chillicothe.

Adena Health System was recently chosen to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Telemedicine program – one of 47 health care organizations from across the country to be awarded.

The $226,467 grant, which was approved earlier this month, is part of some $28 million in funding earmarked for telemedicine projects and distance learning throughout the U.S.

“We’re pleased to receive this much-needed funding, which will go a long way in providing healthcare technology to eight hospitals and healthcare clinics in some of the poorest parts of south-central Ohio,” said Mark Shuter, Adena’s president and chief executive officer.

The grant will be used to purchase mobile videoconferencing and telemedicine equipment, including high-definition video and audio equipment, which will be distributed to the eight sites to assist staff in diagnosing and treating patients, and to help provide continuing medical education.

All of the sites are located in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, and poverty levels in the target communities exceed the national averages, Shuter said.

Once in place, the hospitals and clinics will be added to the Southern Ohio Health Care Network, a partnership of the region’s three largest healthcare providers – Adena, O’Bleness Health System and Holzer Consolidated Health Systems. Adena Medical Center will serve as the hub for the project.

Shuter said he is hopeful that by including these eight hospitals and clinics into SOHCN young health professionals will be encouraged to practice in those underserved areas. Funding also will be used to provide continuing medical education to clinic staffs and promote preventive health care.

Applying for this USDA Telemedicine grant follows the approval last year of $16 million in Federal Communications Commission funding for construction of the SOHCN, Shuter said.

Since then, SOHCN has contracted with Horizon Telcom for construction of a fiber optic network across 13 counties in southern Ohio.

The following hospitals and clinics will benefit from the USDA Telemedicine grant: 

• Family Healthcare, Middleport

• Family HealthCare, McArthur

• Jackson-Vinton Community Action Health Services

• Doctors Hospital Nelsonville

• Albany Medical Clinic

• Greenfield Area Medical Center

• Highland District Hospital

• Highland Family Medicine

Adena Health System is an independent, not-for-profit and locally controlled health care organization serving the needs of 10 counties in southcentral Ohio and employing more than 2,000 people. Adena provides specialty services typically found in larger medical centers, like open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, cancer care and advanced orthopedic procedures, including reverse shoulder surgery, total joint replacement and minimally invasive spine surgery. The health system is based in Chillicothe.