Telemedicine project moves forward
Construction for the North Country Telemedicine Project is slated to begin next month.
The project will allow nearly 30 north country health care facilities to exchange information on site with each other and facilities in Onondaga and Oneida counties.
The Development Authority of the North Country was chosen from among proposals submitted, and is awaiting a contract with the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, which is heading up the telemedicine effort.
David M. Wolf, DANC's general manager for its open access telecom network, said after permitting and material ordering takes place, fiber-optic cable will be hung on poles and equipment will be installed at customer locations.
The project will be made possible through DANC's 700-mile fiber-optic cable network, which was designed to help businesses be more competitive, attract business and offer enhancements for educational, governmental and health institutions.
"The project overlays very well with our network," he said. "Most of these sites are close to where we already were. In terms of fiber, we have to have an extra 15 miles of additional build-out."
In 2007, the health planning organization was awarded $1.98 million from the Federal Communications Commission to create an electronic network connecting the hospitals in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Two dozen community clinics, county public health offices and regional hospitals in Syracuse and Utica also will be a part of the telemedicine project.
The health planning organization provided a cash match of $190,000 to the FCC money, while the project's participants provided the two-year service delivery cash match of $160,000, for a total match of $350,000.
Denise K. Young, the health planning organization's executive director, said the telemedicine project has made good progress with the construction announcement.
"After a lot of planning, ground work and effort with our partners, we're finally prepared, moving forward and moving toward getting fiber," she said.
Many of the hospitals have some connectivity now, but the telemedicine project will expand their ability to deliver telemedicine and to complete the move to electronic record-keeping, she said.
The fiber-optic lines will allow the facilities to share data in the fields of radiology, cardiology, dermatology and behavioral health. Physicians will be able to have video conferences with specialists or review a digital image in the office.
"Some of our hospitals will come online before others," Mrs. Young said. "They really need the fiber, and are ready for it to happen."
Mr. Wolf said DANC is glad it's a part of the project.
"We're excited to get things started," he said. "We view this as a combination of a good business move and a good economic opportunity."
All of the project's participants either are within a 40-mile radius of Fort Drum or are facilities that the north country relies on for specialty services.
They include Canton-Potsdam Hospital and St. Lawrence County Public Health, Potsdam; DeKalb Clinic, DeKalb Junction; E.J. Noble Hospital, Gouverneur; Antwerp Health Center; Ken Reil Memorial Dental Clinic, Star Lake; Philadelphia Physical Therapy Clinic; Fort Drum Medical Activity Guthrie Ambulatory Clinic; Carthage Area Hospital, and Carthage Veterans Affairs Clinic, West Carthage.
Also, Lewis County General Hospital, Lowville; two Lewis County Mental Health clinics; Evans Mills Family Health; River Hospital, Alexandria Bay; Samaritan Family Health Center, Clayton, and Cape Vincent Family Health Center.
Participating clinics in Watertown are Samaritan Mental Health Clinic, Plaza Family Health Center, North Country Children's Clinic, Samaritan Woman to Woman Clinic and Samaritan Urology Clinic. Other Watertown facilities are Samaritan Medical Center, Samaritan Education Office and Jefferson County Public Health.
St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Utica, and Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital and Upstate Medical University, all in Syracuse, will be connected to the telemedicine project.
