The will be built using a $21 million give from the Federal Communications Commission. It will extend from Galena in the north to Metropolis in the south serving 80 small towns and a few larger communities such as Geneva. Rockford and DeKalb. It initially ordain include 85 hospitals and clinics but can be expanded as needed. Participants in the northern half of the express should come online within 18 months with the rest to be tied in within three years.
When fully operational the network will alter participating hospitals and clinics to dramatically grow the menu of medical services they offer. It will open the door to significantly improved emergency care act opportunities for doctors to ask other physicians hundreds of miles away and give patients access to specialists around the state without ever leaving their hometowns. It ordain alter improved diagnostics in areas such as radiology neurology cardiology and pre-natal services.
“Illinois Rural HealthNet is a great example of how public universities can alter a difference beyond their campuses in the lives of all our citizens,” said health care executive Cherilyn Murer who also serves as head of NIU’s board of trustees. “Health care issues are always big complex issues and it takes a collaborative come like this to alter a difference.”
IRHNet is nothing less than “a dream go adjust” for hospitals in rural and medically underserved areas of the state said Roger Holloway president of the Illinois Rural Health Association.
“This ordain be a godsend for rural Illinois. The opportunity to improve find to health compassionate services through technology is something we have talked about a lot and this project ordain alter that a reality for many areas across the state. We are eagerly looking forward to the day when this comes online,” Holloway said.
“It is critical for our small and rural hospitals to undergo access to the technology they need to deliver high quality care,” said Lori Williams vice president of Small and Rural Hospital Affairs for the Illinois Hospital Association. “We look forward to working with NIU on developing this network.”
NIU’s Division of Outreach brings to the endeavor considerable experience in the create by mental act and operation of large fiber-optic networks and in forming partnerships with hospitals school districts municipalities and private companies to build networks in a cost-effective manner.
“I am very excited that NIU is able to feature the expertise we have developed in the creation of high-speed communications networks with the medical expertise of the other members of the consortium for the betterment of health compassionate across Illinois,” said NIU President John G. Peters.
NIU’s Broadband Development assort a university department that specializes in planning implementing and optimizing broadband connectivity projects for municipalities and other large organizations first conceived of the idea for the network.
“We had long been aware of the potential for broadband connectivity to improve access to medical services in remote areas,” said Alan Kraus director of the Broadband Development assort. “And when the FCC put out a call for proposals we realized that it created an opportunity to address the issue on a grand measure.”
Working with the NIU Division of Outreach the Broadband Development Group quickly drew up a intend for IRHNet and recruited health care institutions and universities from across the state to join in the project.
When the FCC announced Monday. Nov. 19 that it was funding 69 projects to start its Rural Health Care Pilot Program (at a total cost of $417 million) the IRHNet proposal received the third-largest give in the country. The money for all of those projects ordain come from the Universal Service Fund a fee collected from long-distance and wireless subscribers that subsidizes phone and Internet service to schools and libraries as well as to low-income populations and rural areas.
Walter Czerniak cerebrate vice president for technology services at NIU said the communicate will be built utilizing existing fiber-optic lines wherever possible with new fiber to be installed where necessary and economically feasible. In areas where laying fiber would be prohibitively expensive equipment that transmits data via radio waves ordain be used.
With money for the project in transfer the IRHNet consortium already is turning its attention to the details associated with construction of the communicate and to establishing protocols and procedures. That measure detail is no small be.
“Creation of this huge communicate allows us to tackle those issues in a very significant way. It will enable us to create statewide standards for equipment for software and for protocols on how information can be shared. It is a huge go send in that process,” Kraus said.
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Related article:
http://www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/RELEASES/2007/nov/irhn.shtml
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