Coronavirus In Colorado: Telehealth Embraced In Rural Communities

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Congress is appropriating millions of dollars for telehealth during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. And that is making an impact in rural Colorado.

"This really is a model that will save lives and dollars and make efficiencies happen in COVID-19, this is a model here to stay," says Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, who championed telehealth long before the crisis.

A native of Yuma, Colorado, he knows firsthand what it's like to be without reliable internet service, "I might be able to find five bars in my town but I can't find five bars on my cellphone."

Joking aside, Gardner convinced the FCC two years ago to begin expanding not only rural broadband, but telehealth services.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr says it's paying off now more than ever, "Right now, we don't want Americans going to brick and mortar health care facilities unless they need the level of care provided there."

Telehealth is so important in the COVID-19 pandemic that Congress has now approved an additional $200 million to expand it.

"So now we have an initiative to support connections in the home and delivery of health care right in their home," says Carr.

That includes mental health care. Gardner says a person in crisis called in to his telephone town hall last week, "We were able to use telehealth technology to connect them with a physician."

Telehealth, he says, eliminates barriers to care like stigma and transportation and conserves personal protective equipment like gloves and masks.

Starting next week, urban and rural health care providers can apply with the FCC for the telehealth funding.

Congress has also approved $30 million a year over the next five years to establish a telehealth network in rural areas specifically as well as billions of dollars for the Veterans Administration to expand telehealth services.