California launches statewide telehealth network

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra joined state healthcare and technology agencies yesterday at the University of California Davis Cancer Center in Sacramento to jumpstart the California Telehealth Network (CTN).

The CTN will connect more than 800 California healthcare facilities to a statewide medical-grade network of healthcare and emergency services. The network is backed by a joint funding effort of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), the California HealthCare Foundation, UnitedHealthcare, the National Coalition for Healthcare Integration, the University of California, and other private and public entities. 

"With the $22.1 million in grant funding from the FCC, along with $3.6 million in matching funds from the CETF, the CTN will help improve access to quality healthcare in rural and medically underserved areas enabling the delivery of emerging e-health and telemedicine services," said Chopra.

Using broadband to connect healthcare providers, the CTN will join 68 other telehealth networks in the nation. The CTN will be managed and led by the University of California on behalf of the governor's office, with guidance from an advisory board consisting of experts from state government, rural healthcare, telemedicine and technology.

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