JACKSON, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Medical Center received a grant of about $368,000 to give ten rural area hospitals in northeast Mississippi top notch healthcare.
The grant was provided from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Appalachian Regional Commission to help expand the Telehealth program. USDA has given $740,000 since 2006 to get this program to where it is now and plans to continue to work with them in the future to keep it growing.
“We are very pleased to issue this grant funding to UMMC to assist with their health program.” Trina Georgia state director for USDA rural development said, “As I look around this room, it just goes to show you, no matter your economic status everyone deserves quality healthcare and that’s what I think UMMC is trying to accomplish throughout the state of Mississippi and we’re just happy to be apart of it.”
Kristi Henderson, Director of Telehealth with UMMC announced the grant funding for their expansion of the Telehealth program for 10 rural areas in northeast Mississippi Thursday, March 6.
Telemedicine is a way of communicating with a physician or medical expert through the phone and computers. They can diagnose the problem of a patient at another hospital without physically being in the room. “We are cutting costs and improving healthcare with our program,” said Henderson.
An additional 169,000 residents will be assisted through this grant providing the expansion of Telehealth to those ten rural areas in northern Mississippi. More than 100 medical centers, clinics and health centers in rural Mississippi are a part of UMMC’s Telehealth program.
