CHARLESTON — On Monday, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) Health Education and Research Institute, Inc. to support telenursing software upgrades, telemedicine expansion and cardiology services integration.
These awards, which were secured through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests made by Capito, will be used to expand CAMC’s robust telenursing program with new equipment and software, increasing reach and reducing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage. The funding also aims to improve information sharing among health providers’ and CAMC’s cardiology departments, allowing CAMC to read and report computerized tomography (CT) scan results in real time.
“CAMC knows that expanding services and integrating workflow is at the heart of raising the standard of care for West Virginians,” Capito said. “I am proud to continue supporting their expansion efforts, especially telehealth and telemedicine services, so that they may revolutionize the way they meet patients at their homes. The new equipment this funding will support can help people in the most rural parts of the Mountain State receive the care they need, reduce waste and get more timely and efficient results on potentially life-saving CT scans.”
“We are grateful for Sen. Capito’s continued support of health care and access in rural communities,” David Ramsey, president and CEO of Vandalia Health, said. “Over the past four years, CAMC has opened several telemedicine centers throughout West Virginia. In 2023, we expect to treat about 50,000 patients through the convenience of a telemedicine center closer to their home.”