Using teleconferencing to deliver health care in Appalachia

An article in The Athens Messenger describes how telecommunications technologies are being used to provide health care services in Appalachian areas of the state. (Source: "Technology expanding health-care access," Sept. 19, 2007.) According to Steve Trout, executive director of the Southern Consortium for Children, a number of health-care organizations including Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling in Athens, the Shawnee Mental Health Center and the Woodland Centers in Gallipolis "have reduced costs by providing a variety of services, including patient care and staff and employee training" through the use of telecommunication technologies.

Woodland Centers alone has served 3,000 to 4,000 clients in Jackson, Meigs and Gallia Counties by using videoconferencing to "counsel and treat patients." According to the centers' executive director Dave Tener, "a major challenge for the agency was recruiting psychiatrists." But by using teleconferencing, the agency’s medical director, Dr. Ali Salim, can treat patients from his Columbus home. Tener said their initial concern was "how our clients would deal with talking to a television. But their satisfaction has been tremendous. It’s been a real good match for us all around.” Dr. Salim is also able to have patient medical histories and records sent to his home via computer while he is seeing the patient by teleconference. Prescriptions can then be sent to pharmacies in the same manner.