Bangor, Maine-based St. Joseph Healthcare installed a telemedicine system for its rheumatology department to offer appointments to patients who are unable to travel to the hospital, CBS affiliate WABI reports.
The USDA awarded a telemedicine grant for more than $400,000 to the Main Rural Health Collaborative, which comprises St. Joseph's Healthcare and four other Maine-based hospitals, to install the telemedicine equipment. The Main Rural Health Collaborative focuses on challenges and shift of care presented to the rural patient population.
Nine additional healthcare facilities in Maine received a telemedicine network as part of the grant, according to the report. The telemedicine services are anticipated to help provide care to more than 115,000 people in the following Maine-based counties: Aroostook, Penobscot, Hancock and Washington.