Trump Administration awards $2.8M to expand Telemedicine and Distance Learning Opportunities in Rural Georgia

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announces the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $72 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. Of this total, $2.8 million is awarded for distance learning and telemedicine expansion in rural Georgia. Funding comes from the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Program, which helps rural residents tap into the enormous potential of modern telecommunications and the Internet.  Among the projects selected for grants in Georgia is Northeast Georgia Health System receiving $794,881 for telemedicine.  This Rural Development investment will be used to expand medical services provided by The Medical Foundation, Inc. dba Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) Foundation physicians to patients living in eight rural counties of northeast Georgia. These rural residents are often located hours away from primary, urgent, and specialty care. NGHS Foundation will purchase Telehealth carts which will be equipped to enable video and audio communication that will allow doctors, that would otherwise be unavailable, to connect with remote patients in real time for consultation visits.  This will result in an increase in workflow and increase in access and timeliness to care in Barrow, Dawson, Gwinnett, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, and White counties.