The University of Mississippi Medical Center and Baton Rouge, La.-based Venyu Solutions officially released the plans to build a technology center that will house the university's telehealth center.
UMMC, located in Jackson, Miss., signed an agreement with Venyu Solutions to construct a stand-alone facility in Jackson. The university's lease will begin in July 2016, according to a news release. Most of the telehealth's center structures already exist, but UMMC designed the new facility to fit expanding demand for telehealth services, according to the Jackson Free Press.
The center will create approximately 400 new jobs and follows the state government's initiatives to enhance healthcare technology presence, both in Jackson and in the state. The new center will include a telehealth operations center and provide telehealth services to organizations statewide, a call center with support services, a remote patient monitoring center for home health, an innovation incubator to support new technology development and a workforce training center, according to the news release.
Mississippi has received national attention for its telehelath efforts in recent months. The state ranks lowest in many health rankings but has 165 telehealth sites, and its program ranks among the seven best in the country. Mississippi has the worst doctor shortage in the country and many rural areas, boosting the need for more efficient care and access measures, according to Politico.