Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that four Illinois health care providers have been awarded $1,609,855 in federal funding to improve and expand telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are part of Round 2 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was established as part of the CARES Act and continued under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
“This federal funding will help providers in both urban and rural areas of our state better connect with patients and improve health care,” Durbin said. “Senator Duckworth and I are proud to announce this funding and will continue working to improve access to health care services throughout Illinois.”
“Expanding the reach of Illinois’s healthcare network is critical to helping provide reliable and accessible care to more Illinoisans, especially as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 public health crisis,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing these federal telehealth funds to help our state’s health providers serve their communities in this time of need.”
The following Illinois health care providers have been awarded grants:
- Adler Community Health Services in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $359,836 to expand its behavioral telehealth program by purchasing laptops with mobile data and upgrading to remote voice services to assist physicians working with patients outside the hospital, and to improve its wireless coverage and network connectivity to support its telehealth capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- CGH Medical Center in Sterling, Illinois was awarded $183,015 for tablets and webcams to help providers connect with and treat patients remotely in rural areas.
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois was awarded $967,430 to purchase computers, webcams, headsets, and other telehealth devices to provide patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic and upgrade their existing telehealth equipment.
- TCA Health in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $99,574 to purchase a variety of devices, including web-based and mobile applications to upload information, laptops to conduct telehealth appointments, and tablets for patient use, which will allow providers to remotely care for and monitor patient health.
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