Association for Utah Community Health (AUCH)
2570 West 1700 South

Joshua Wood, MA
Ph: 801-924-2851
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
www.auch.org

Fax: 801-974-5563
Email: telehealth@auch.org

Network Partners: Association for Utah Community Health (AUCH) member organizations, including all federally qualified health centers in the State of Utah (seven urban and twelve rural/frontier sites), Utah Telehealth Network, Retina Associates of Utah and Wire One Technology, Inc.

Project Purpose: Build a video conferencing network among Utah’s federally qualified health centers providing distance learning and professional development opportunities to health center staff and community members. Increase the number of diabetic patients receiving retinal screenings by providing equipment and training to community health center staff. Reduce wait time for radiological interpretation results and increase the availability of specialist consultation by developing a teleradiology system network. Provide online information, learning tools and collaborative forums for community health center staff and patients.

Outcomes Expected: Increase retinal screenings of FQHC patients with diabetes 25-40%. Increase in early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Expand videoconferencing capacity among Utah’s FQHCs 25-50%. Increase distance-learning/peer meetings over videoconferencing 25-50%. Performance measures and surveys will supplement equipment-use statistics and collaborative data collection.

Service Area: Fifteen counties throughout Utah: Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Emery, Grand, Iron, Morgan, Rich, San Juan, Salt Lake, Utah, Washington,, Weber, and Wayne—four full MUAs, six partial MUAs. Eleven full county geographic MHPSAs, twelve full county low-income DHPSAs, and three
partial county low-income DHPSAs.

Services Provided: Distance and peer learning network via IP videoconferencing was established in January 2005. Opthalmology project providing store and forward retinal exams began in April, 2004. Teleradiology services began in early 2006.

Equipment: A Polycom VSX 7400 is used for hub videoconferencing site, while Polycom VSX 7000s are used for remote sites. Kowa nonmydriatic fundus camera used for ophthalmology. Digital CR systems for teleradiology.

Transmission: Full and fractional T1 lines, DSL, Internet are used for videoconferencing/distance learning activities. A bridging device is used on a contractual basis.

Weber State University HOPE Project
3901 University Circle
Ogden, UT 84408-3901
www.weber.edu/chp

Craig Gundy, PhD
Ph: 801-626-7127
Fax: 801-626-7683
Email: cgundy@weber.edu

Network Partners: Northern Utah Area Health Education Center, Ogden, Utah; School Districts in Northern Utah, Weber, Ogden, Cache, Rich, Box Elder, Logan, Davis; Utah Education Network, Fire Departments/First Responder Agencies statewide and in Wyoming; International Critical Incident
Stress Foundation.

Project Purpose: The HOPE project is designed to address the critical shortage of health professionals in Utah and contiguous states. WSU will undertake the challenge to increase the outreach efforts to rural communities to provide the education needed for these residents to receive professional education, which will allow them to practice as a health professional in their communities. This will increase the supply of health care professionals so desperately needed in Utah. The project will also address the issue of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). HOPE will study closely the availability of
stress management services, analyze needs, and investigate solutions to assist first responders.

Outcomes Expected: Recruitment activities will occur statewide to attract individuals to health professions programs. Individuals in rural communities will gain access to and utilize distance-learning technologies to
obtain professional training and certification in the allied health fields of Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, and others. Feasibility testing and a needs analysis will be implemented to determine the need for a Critical Incident Stress Training Institute. Distance
technology will be developed and supported, for example, IP Video and on-line testing support.

Service Area: All of Utah’s 29 counties are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) in at least one or more of the following: Dental, Primary Care, and/or Mental Health. The HOPE Grant is based in Weber County, but will serve all 29 counties in the state as well as some cities/counties in Southern
Wyoming.

Services Provided: The HOPE Project is providing: 1) Recruitment statewide and in Southern Wyoming to health care professional training programs; 2) Course/Program delivery via IP Video technology (Paramedic, EMT, and Clinical Lab Science); 3) Development of an ICU Simulation Lab for students; and 4)
Establishment and support of on-line and distance courses, including computer and testing support.

Equipment: Remote sites have 9 PolyCom VSX 7000S video conferencing systems; Broadcast Sites have 2 Tandberg MX 3000; PolyCom Bridge; Chi Tester.

Transmission: Ethernet to dedicated fiber channel with tie into layer 2 switch to Utah’s back bone. Chi Tester runs on front-end cluster of 3 Windows 2000 servers, plus a back-end Windows 2000 server SQL database.

IHC Health Services
3930 Lake Park Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT 84120
www.intermountainhealthcare.org

Molly J. Fielding, MBA
Ph: 801-442-1504
Fax: 801-442-1132
Email: molly.fielding@intermountainmail.org

Network Partners: Not Applicable.

Project Purpose: Implement pilot technology to provide appropriate communication to deaf and hearing impaired patients for meaningful access to Intermountain’s services that are compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. Evaluate the technology with the Project Team’s key personnel for
resolution and ASL-level interpretations. Provide efficient and timely interpretation services for the deaf that enhance quality of care and reduce health system waste.

Outcomes Expected: Decrease the length of time patients must wait for an interpreter by at least 50% and decrease the overall costs of providing interpretation services by 20%. Further, this will provide a setting that the
patient perceives as less intrusive since a third person (the interpreter) will not be in the room. In addition, maximize the cost and administrative advantages of a combined IP infrastructure for both video and telephone.

Service Area: The project service area includes all of Utah and Cassia, Idaho.

Services Provided: On-demand video interpretation for deaf patients. This service will be available 24 hours a day. It will help decrease wait times for patients who need interpreting services and will provide patients with
more options to address their communication needs.

Equipment: The Polycom Practitioner Cart utilizes the Polycom VSX 7000 as the core for real time interactive voice and video communications. It includes two 17” LCDs in the dual monitor version.

Transmission: Intermountain has DS3 connections from the main hospitals to the central hub that has a DS3 connection to the Internet.

Utah Telehealth Network
585 Komas Drive, Suite 204
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
www.utahtelehealth.net

Marta Petersen, MD
Deb LaMarche
Ph: 801-587-6190
Fax: 801-585-7083
Email: deb.lamarche@utahtelehealth.net

Network Partners: Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, John A. Moran Eye Center, Utah Diabetes Center, Intermountain Spinal Cord Injury Program, Bear Lake Community Health Center, Garden City; Utah Navajo Health System, Montezuma Creek; San Juan Hospital, Monticello; Monument Valley Health
Center; Gunnison Valley Hospital; Beaver Valley Hospital; South Davis Community Hospital, plus 17 UTN member sites.

Project Purpose: Upgrade network infrastructure to support expanding telehealth activity. Implement telehealth services for diabetes management and diabetic retinopathy. Implement remote spinal cord injury patient management.
Expand continuing education modalities and offerings. Implement a planning process to provide remote access to centralized patient-related IT resources by
rural hospitals. Produce an updated business plan for long term financial stability.

Outcomes Expected: Improved network management & staff efficiency — automated reporting via integrated database. Patient/Provider and Education Participant Satisfaction—Likert surveys. Quantify Patient Usage of Services Provided—OAT GPRA Performance Measures. Quantify Education Participation—OAT GRPA Performance Measures.

Service Area: Current project serves five counties (Rich, San Juan, Sanpete, Beaver, Davis), which include 4 full county HPSAs, 1 partial county HPSA, 3 full county MUAs, and 1 partial county MUP. Network serves 18 Utah counties, all of which are full or partial HPSAs.

Services Provided: Dermatology; psychiatry (medication management); developmental disabilities; cardiology; infectious disease; orthopedics; pediatric orthopedics; acute stroke intervention; burn; pharmacy; radiology;
continuing education & training; nursing oncology doctoral program; bioterrorism preparedness; diabetes services (2006); spinal cord injury patient management (2006).

Equipment: Accord MGC100 bridge, Polycom videoconferencing systems (Viewstation, VS 4000, VSX7000 VSX3000, Via Video and PVX); Madge multiplexer; Cisco routers; HP Procurve switches; Netscreen
firewalls; Pyxis pharmacy dispensing system.

Transmission: Dedicated T1 and T1 frame relay; DS3s, ISDN PRI; DSL.