HTRC is pleased to announce an additional three years of funding awarded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the heartland region, expanding access to quality healthcare for rural and underserved communities in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Here's to three more years of access, connectivity and integration! 

HTRC Director Eve-Lynn Nelson, Ph.D., recently presented for the HRSA-funded, National Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intensive Course to highlight telehealth programs for pregnant and postpartum women. Nelson overviewed the MomHealth Pilot, an effort to improve outcomes for teen mothers and their children. This innovative intervention augments "traditional" telemental health visits and telesupport groups with iPads preloaded with educational YouTube videos; text messages; and apps designed to help moms cope with daily stress. 

Nelson, who serves alongside Karen Wamback, Ph.D., and Ann Davis, Ph.D., as co-PIs, said the intervention was designed to consider several interrelated factors that are more prominent in teen moms. They have lower rates of breastfeeding, are more likely to gain and maintain excessive weight and have higher rates of postpartum depression. Increased breastfeeding has health benefits for both mother and child, and preventing and treating depression also positively impact health outcomes. Influencing these behaviors, therefore, can enhance overall health of both mother and child.

The pilot was based on the Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS) model, developed through a partnership among the  University of Arkansas College of Medicine, the Arkansas Department of Human Services and the Arkansas Medical Society.  Though still in its infancy, so far nine mothers have completed the MomHealth program and participants have shown high rates of satisfaction with the individual counseling televideo sessions and the text messaging component. The National Institute for Health trial will start this fall. For more information about the program, please contact HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.  

This week, HTRC joins with other telehealth resource centers (TRC) across the nation in mourning the loss of Mario Gutierrez, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy. Mr. Gutierrez's passion for increasing access to quality health care through telehealth was evident in his work at the Center and was an inspiration to us all. He was a tireless advocate for underserved communities including Native Americans and migrant farm workers and he will be greatly missed. 

READ TRIBUTE TO MARIO GUTIERREZ

All of us at HTRC extend our deepest condolences to Mario's family, friends and colleagues. We will do our best to carry on his legacy. 

A Missouri Hospital Foundation Report released last week, "The Status of Telehealth in Missouri," made a strong case for telehealth in the state, particularly within the vast rural counties. According to the report, there are 13 Missouri counties with only one primary care physician. And those doctors working in rural counties without hospitals are chronically overworked - with an average workload that is nearly three times the load of doctors in counties with hospitals. 

The report delved into several of the chronic obstacles to telehealth delivery, such as reimbursement and limited broadband, but pointed to several promising signposts:

READ FULL REPORT