Arlington, Va. (March 31, 2016)—Members of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, officials from the Obama administration, and leaders from state and local government, academia and the practitioner community gathered at the White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building March 30 for an event hosted by the White House Rural Council centered on rural telemedicine.
Building on the Obama administration’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to opportunity through quality, affordable health care, the event highlighted the essential role of telehealth in reaching high-need rural families and communities.
NTCA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shirley Bloomfield delivered opening remarks. Eric Cramer, CEO of Wilkes Telephone Membership Corp. (Wilkesboro, N.C.), and Keith Gabbard, CEO and general manager of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (McKee, Ky.), spoke at the event. While neither company is currently deploying telehealth solutions, both are pursuing avenues to assist in the deployment of telehealth solutions within their communities. Cramer and Gabbard discussed the barriers providers face as they try to get into telehealth.
Additionally, Ron Laudner, president and CEO of Omnitel Communications (Nora Springs, Iowa), co-led a breakout session examining the benefits telemedicine can provide in the service of rural veterans. Charles Moses, president of the Ohio Telecom Association (Columbus, Ohio), co-led a discussion on how promising telehealth practices can improve access to and the quality of health care in rural areas.
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Doug O'Brien, senior policy advisor for rural affairs for the White House Domestic Policy Council led the event. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service Administrator Brandon McBride and representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spoke about the trends for health care in rural areas, as well as federal investment in rural telehealth.
Participants are expected to report back to the White House Rural Council in two weeks with best practices, action items and pilot project ideas.
A video summarizing the event is available online.
###
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA’s members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us at www.ntca.org.