Internet2 Congratulates FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program Grant Awardees
Organization Applauds FCC Program to Facilitate Creation of National Health Network and Enable Connections to the Internet2 NetworkWASHINGTON D.C. - November 20, 2007 - Internet2 applauds the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) and Chairman Martin's action in announcing the grant recipients of its new Rural Health Care Pilot Program (RHCPP) which seeks to catalyze the formation of a ubiquitous advanced healthcare network that will serve the national interest by improving citizens' access to first class healthcare services, resources and research.
The grants, awarded to 42 states and 3 U.S. territories, provide funding to help forward-thinking public and non-profit health care providers establish 69 state and regional broadband networks dedicated to health care services as well as enable these networks to connect to nationwide advanced research and education networks like Internet2.
"Today's announcement marks a major milestone in bringing our nation one step closer towards realizing the promise of advanced Internet technology to significantly enhance the quality and availability of healthcare services. We applaud the FCC and Chairman Martin for their foresight and vision in this most important arena” said Dr. Michael McGill, director of Internet2's health sciences program. "Internet2 also congratulates the grant recipients for their hard work and dedication in cultivating regional coalitions and developing comprehensive proposals that we believe will fulfill the vision of providing robust healthcare to all areas of our nation. We look forward to our work together in the coming months and years to bring this vital program to fruition.”
By linking high-speed state and regional research and education networks, the new nationwide Internet2 Network connects close to 50,000 research and education institutions and extends the most robust capabilities that are uniquely suited for healthcare and health sciences applications that require reliability and consistent performance. Providing connectivity to health networks across the country is a natural extension of Internet2's existing network capabilities and complements its members' ongoing work in the health sciences arena.
Today, Internet2 connects over 140 healthcare organizations and medical schools including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center together. These organizations work collaboratively to develop and deploy advanced Internet technologies in support of health sciences. This research has yielded significant results in improving the way students, doctors, and patients interact, including the development of virtual surgery technologies that allow medical students to learn skills from experts all over the world; telemedicine applications that can provide patients in rural areas access to doctors from major medical facilities; and identity management technologies that can provide privacy control for patients' medical records.
For more information about the FCC pilot program visit:
http://www.internet2.edu/rhcp/ or http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html
About Internet2
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development, deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Internet2 brings the U.S. research and academic community together with technology leaders from industry, government and the international community to undertake collaborative efforts that have a fundamental impact on tomorrow's Internet.For more information: http://www.internet2.edu/
Media Contact:
Lauren Rotman, Internet2
202.331.5345
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