United Health Services gets federal grant for rural telehealth initiative - Journal Inquirer

United Health Services Inc., which has provided behavioral health services throughout northeastern Connecticut since 1964, has received a grant from the federal government to support a new telemedicine initiative in Windham and Tolland counties.

In an announcement Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Courtney, D-2nd District, said the organization was awarded a $319,194 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine program.

According to the program’s website, the effort seeks to help rural communities connect to one another through the use of telecommunications. The program can link teachers and medical providers in one area to students and patients in another.

Telemedicine is the practice of treating a patient remotely through the use of technology. For example, a medical provider can assess and consult a patient by videoconferencing via a computer or smart phone.

Courtney called the grant, which will serve 177,094 residents in Windham and Tolland counties, a “major investment in the health of our region.”

“These federal dollars will help expand the capacity of United Services’ telecommunications connectivity, and will increase rural patient access to behavioral health services, giving patients access to therapists, doctors, and other health professionals, even despite being separated by long distances,” he said.

Courtney credited Diane Manning, president and CEO of United Services, and her staff for taking the initiative to pursue the award. He said the organization was the first in the state to take advantage of the funding opportunity, and said he hoped the organization’s telehealth program becomes a model for telemedicine in the state, particularly in the way it can be used to combat the opioid crisis.

Manning said the organization was “thrilled” to receive the grant, and thanked Courtney and the USDA for their assistance. She said the funding would allow the organization to more efficiently respond to the needs of residents in its service area.

“Using technology, we can connect staff at our various sites, as well as our partners in care delivery, to work collaboratively with individuals and families without the delays and expense caused by travel in rural northeastern Connecticut,” she said.

According to the announcement, the funding will enable the organization to connect 11 program locations and four community partners with telecommunications equipment, including clinical centers, domestic violence shelters, young adult service program locations, and adult social and vocational rehabilitation program locations and supported housing facilities.

United Health Services provides an array of behavioral health care, including mental health care for children, young adults, and adults; addiction recovery services; assistance for victims of domestic abuse; family services; clinical care and support for people with autism spectrum disorders and their families; senior services; and business and community services.

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