University of Wyoming Center for Rural Health Research and

Education

Rex Gantenbein, PhD – DirectorBarb Robinson, RN PHD – Research

Scientist

CRHRE: Reaching out to Wyoming

CRHRE Mission

• “Provide tools, technology, and support services that enable practitioners, administrators, educators, researchers, policy makers, and students to improve the quality of health care and services in rural areas”– Administratively housed in UW College of Health

Sciences– All staff (except Director) are grant-funded

Previous major projects

• State Planning Grant – study uninsured in Wyoming and develop recommendations to increase coverage

• Western Regional Biomedical Collaboratory – develop plan to increase research collaboration among Western INBRE schools

• Health Information Security and Privacy Collaborative –identify barriers related to Health IT adoption and develop tools to educate practitioners on security and privacy issues

• Wyoming Workforce Database – collect and analyze data on health care practitioners in the state

Current project

• Wyoming Network for Telehealth (WyNETTE)– A statewide telehealth network linking• Hospitals• Community mental health centers• Substance abuse clinics

– Support from• FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program• HRSA ORHP Rural Health Network Development

Program• HRSA Office of Health Information Technology

WyNETTE objectives

• Increase care opportunities through telemedicine

• Increase the number, types, and skills of health professionals through distance delivery of health care education

• Increase access to information about health and health care through informatics, research, and policy development

WyNETTE objectives

• Long-term goals– Improve professional quality of life– Reduce medical errors– Improve quality of providers, delivery,

and payment system– Improve outcomes for state health care

system– Create a culture for sustaining

telehealth

FCC RHC Pilot Program

• Goal: Create statewide telecommunications infrastructure for WyNETTE– 44 sites participating– Dedicated T1/dual T1 connectivity

• RHCP program will provide 85% of costs– $778,765 available over three years– Remaining 15% of costs require a CASH match

• Project completion expected by July 2011

ORHP/OHIT grants

• Support management of RHCP program• Provide telehealth application development

assistance (TADA!)– Organizational structure– Guidelines for educational and clinical applications – Operational guidance– Training for practitioners and administrators– Strategic and sustainability planning

• Funded through mid-2011

Questions/comments?

Rex Gantenbein, PhD307.766.6544rex@uwyo.edu

Barb Robinson, RN PhD307.766.4387brobins@uwyo.edu

http://www.uwyo.edu/health