Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has awarded Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa $250,000 to expand the center's telehealth network and improve access for rural residents.
The OSU Telehealth Network currently extends to more than 60 sites across 49 cities and towns, and includes a mobile telehealth clinic to provide care in locations without a fixed site. The network allows rural residents to have increased access to primary and specialty care physicians from OSU. With the additional funding from BCBS, the university plans to establish distance learning sites at four rural hospitals and a permanent telehealth site at Arkansas Verdigris Valley Health Centers in Porter.
"Our primary mission at the OSU Center for Health Sciences is to provide primary care physicians for rural and underserved Oklahoma," said Kayse Shrum, DO, president of OSU Center for Health Sciences, in the report. "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is one of our strongest partners in meeting this mission and recognizing the key role our TeleHealth program plays in delivering health care to residents all across our state."
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