DAVIS, Calif. — A new statewide broadband network went live in August, ushering in a new era for more than 850 California-based hospitals and clinics that will one day be a part of the system.
While a reported 12 million Californian’s live in unconnected and underserved areas of the state, the California Telehealth Network will begin with only 50 participants, activated over the next several months, according to CTN officials. The first facilities to connect will be five UC medical centers, including the UC Davis Cancer Center, the UC Irvine Hospital, Providence Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center clinics in South Los Angeles.
The system will link to a setup of 68 Telemedicine and healthcare networks nationwide, according to reports.
Connecting both rural and urban California communities where traditional medicine is underserved, CTN will allow medical practitioners and patients a direct link to research centers and advanced medical centers. Earlier this year, a consortium that includes the University of California, the UC Davis Health System, the California Public Utilities Commission, and other bodies, selected AT&T as the contractor on the $30 million project. Other partners on the project include Cal eConnect, CalHIPSO, and HITECH-LA.
Plans call for the network broadband stream to be a peer-to-peer system, useable with interactive monitors at each location. Proponents of the project see CTN not only as a way to connect medical professionals to patients and other healthcare staff, but also as a tool for distance learning and a link to clinical research. A CTN team will train and support participants in the use of telemedicine equipment.
Design of the CTN began in 2007 with a $22 million grant from the Federal Communications Commission. Another $3.6 million in matching funds from the California Emerging Technology Fund has been added to the project, as has support from the California HealthCare Foundation, the National Coalition for Healthcare Integration, and the University of California.