WASHINGTON – North Country HealthCare in Flagstaff was awarded $418,996 in funds through the CARES Act— which was championed by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema—for investment in telehealth and patient monitoring for COVID-19 related care across the network of health clinics of five northern Arizona counties.
“Today’s investment in North Country HealthCare’s telehealth services will improve the quality of care and reduce the risk of hospitalizations for Arizonans during this global pandemic,” said Sinema.
North Country HealthCare will use the $418,996 funds to improve access to telehealth for patients by investing in tables, mobile phones, a telehealth platform, videoconferencing equipment and software, and remote monitoring equipment. This technological investment will enhance telehealth services to vulnerable and high-risk residents. North Country HealthCare has a network of clinics in Mohave, Coconino, Navajo, Gila, and Yavapai counties.
The FCC has awarded the Navajo Nation Department of Health $954,990, El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center in Tucson $444,462, Creek Valley Health Clinic in Colorado City $53,846, Serenity First Counseling in Green Valley $40,202, Lake Powell Medical Center in Page $221,267, and Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Tucson $27,320 for telehealth services to help serve Arizonans during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last month, Sinema urged Senate leaders to make the CONNECT for Health Act provisions in the CARES Act law permanent as part of a future coronavirus relief package. Increased telehealth technologies and services have shown to improve quality of care and reduce the risk of hospitalizations. Early evidence indicates that in the past two months, telehealth usage among Medicare beneficiaries has increased by 11,718 percent. The bipartisan letter also calls on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to collect more data to help Congress determine the efficacy of telehealth within Medicare.
Sinema website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, includes specific resources in English and Spanish for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.
