Telehealth Month at MU

October was Telehealth Month at MU. This was the second annual telehealth month. Events began on October 1st with a kick-off celebration in the hospital lobby. Other events were scheduled throughout the month to increase awareness of telehealth to the public and medical community. This included speakers and exhibits.

Below is a flier with all the events as well as pictures from the kick-off.

Telehealth Month Flier with list of events (.pdf)

Pictures from Telehealth Month (.pdf)

MTN Hosts Visitors from Russia (See Photo)

Bruce and Mindy Duncan from Tre brought visitors from afar to MTN. The group, Salvation, has a lofty goal of establishing a telemedicine network in western Russia where broadband is only available in certain areas. Through Mindy’s work in HIV she became connected with this group in Russia who work with HIV positives and those suffering from substance abuse. On their visit to Missouri this week, the groups stopped by to learn how telehealth is used in rural Missouri and to determine how a similar model of care could be replicated in Russia. Our Russian visitors came from Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region which has a population of about 1 million people. It is currently one of the areas with an extremely high rate of HIV. You can read more about Salvation at www.centrspasenie.org. Information about Tre can be found at www.treweb.org.

MTN discussed our current model, performed a demonstration with Celia Hagan of the Northeast Missouri Telehealth Network in Kirksville, and completed hands on training with the video conferencing equipment. It was exciting and educational for all!   We have plans to keep in touch with our new friends as they begin their journey to construct a network in Russia.

 

Highlights from Past Events

November 2007 was "Telehealth Month at MU". The theme for the month reminded everyone about the importance of telemedicine and its many uses in everyday healthcare.

MTN hosted several speakers as well as a training program during November. Dr. Eve-Lynn Nelson, Assistant Director of Research at the Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth at the University of Kansas, was a guest speaker for Psychiatry Grand Rounds on November 14th. She spoke about KU's "Tele-Kidcare Telehealth Program". On the 15th of November Dr. Elaine Skalabrin, Director of the University of Utah Stroke Center, presented their Telestroke Program. These two speakers presented during the training program as well as over video to any of the MTN sites who were interested in participating.

Eddie Hedrick from the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services spoke on the 29th about "Infectious Diseases and MRSA Nationally and within Missouri". This was during the "Connect Live to MTN" program where 20 sites were connected at one time.

The training program was held November 14th and 15th. Twenty-eight people were there from 20 different sites. One of the primary goals of the training program was educating the attendees on different ways telehealth can be used. Presenters spoke about using telehealth in home health, dermatology, orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, continuing medical education as well as Telestroke and Tele-Kidcare which was mentioned above. A second goal was to aid the audience in starting their own telehealth program through discussions regarding clinical considerations in developing a successful program, licensing and credentialing, and legal and regulatory issues. Another goal was to provide an overview of the equipment and the technology used in telehealth as well as provide hands-on training. The attendees were able to practice on the videoconferencing equipment and other peripheral equipment after a summary of the technology was provided.

Below are a few pictures from the training program as well as the final agenda.

Pictures from Training Program (.pdf)

Training Program Agenda (.pdf)