12.21.21

Cantwell Announces Over $2.6 Million in Grants to Expand Telehealth Services in Seattle, Goldendale, and Southwest Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today announced that a total of $2,689,733 in grants have been awarded to Seattle Children’s Hospital, Summit Pacific Medical Center, and Klickitat County Public Hospital to expand access to telehealth services for patients in underserved communities throughout Seattle, Goldendale, and Southwest Washington.

Seattle Children’s Hospital (Seattle)

Seattle Children’s Hospital was awarded $1,000,000 for the purchase of telehealth software and equipment to minimize exposure to COVID-19 via telehealth and use virtual care to maintain the care of less acutely ill children in their own communities.

Summit Pacific Medical Center (Elma)

Summit Pacific Medical Center was awarded $977,994 for the purchase of tablets, laptops, and remote monitoring kits, including Bluetooth-enabled oximeters and blood pressure monitors, to deploy mobile and stationary kiosks in community centers, community halls, and schools throughout its rural service area to increase equitable access for its low-income patient population.

Klickitat County Public Hospital (Goldendale)
Klickitat County Public Hospital was awarded $711,739 for the purchase of tablets, webcams, and remote monitoring kits to enhance its telemedicine offerings as the only health care provider in a sparsely populated area.

The grants were awarded through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The program was first established in the 2020 CARES Act. Additional funds were appropriated by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Senator Cantwell is a strong proponent of telehealth and has long stressed the need for comprehensive broadband infrastructure to support telehealth services. In August 2020, Cantwell joined her Senate colleagues in a letter to the FCC urging them to increase funding for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program, which supports access to telehealth services in hard-to-reach and economically depressed communities. Since the pandemic began, Cantwell has announced more than $7.8 million in funding for telehealth services to health care entities throughout Washington state. At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in May 2020 on the state of broadband infrastructure in America, Senator Cantwell emphasized the importance of telehealth healthcare services throughout the COVID-19 crisis. In 2019, Cantwell held a roundtable with telehealth officials and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to advocate for expanding access to telehealth services.

The full list of round two awardees can be found HERE.

More information on the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth program can be found HERE. 

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