Bangor-based program to help rural health care

The New England Telehealth Consortium, based in Bangor, will receive almost $24.7 million as its share of more than $417 million in funding from the Federal Communications Commission for improving access to health care in rural areas. The FCC announced the dedication of funds for the 42-state Rural Health Care Pilot Project on Monday.

The New England Telehealth Consortium will deliver remote trauma consultation and medical care by linking approximately 500 primarily rural health care facilities – including hospitals, behavioral health sites, correctional facility clinics, and community health care centers – in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to urban hospitals and universities throughout New England.

The consortium’s request for inclusion in the FCC funding was strongly supported by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who said the project would improve access to specialized fields of medicine, reduce travel time, speed critical diagnoses, and improve the overall quality of health care in rural areas.