Maine Governor John E. Baldacci Congratulates New England Telehealth Consortium on Health Care Grant

As broadband technology evolves, the ability to network rural area on a limited budget has significantly improved. SV

BANGOR - Governor John E. Baldacci congratulated the New England Telehealth Consortium today for receiving a $24.6 million Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rural health care grant. The grant is the largest award issued by the FCC under the Rural Health Care Pilot Program. The Consortium’s winning proposal calls for the connection of rural and urban nonprofit health care centers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

ProInfoNet of Bangor developed the coalition that sought the award. The New England Telehealth Consortium consists of 31 members, representing 555 health care sites in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, including hospitals, the University of Maine, the University of New England, The Jackson Laboratory and others. The consortium will link regional health care providers with urban public practices, research institutions, academic institutions and medical specialists to provide greater efficiency in the sharing of information relevant to health care applications. Once the network is complete, the opportunity exists to connect with a similar network in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

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