Barton part of consortium awarded $350,000

Access El Dorado, or ACCEL, a countywide community collaborative, received the Model eHealth Communities’ award from UC Davis Health System and the California Telehealth Network. The $350,000 award is part of more than $5 million in funds supporting 15 community groups across California and is designed to assist communities in becoming best-practice examples in the use and integration of technology to improve healthcare for local residents.

The award will provide funding for eHealth technologies, telehealth equipment, specialized community-based training and management to help El Dorado County healthcare facilities connect to and use a new, off Internet, broadband system now being implemented by CTN.

Barton Health, which has supported the efforts of ACCEL for several years, will be a lead agency partner for El Dorado County in the CTN program. Barton has invested in the information technology infrastructure and started providing telehealth services early through its community clinic.

El Dorado’s ACCEL will be implementing diverse eHealth applications such as remote specialty and critical care consultations between local health providers and specialists affiliated with academic medical centers; health education for consumers and continuing education for health care professionals, as well as healthcare workforce development programs. These initiatives will provide benefits beyond the 15 community groups who were awarded.

ACCEL is a partnership between El Dorado County Health Services Department, Barton Health (with affiliated medical providers and rural clinic), Marshall Medical Center (with affiliated medical providers and rural clinic), El Dorado County Community Health Center, Shingle Springs Tribal Health Program and Western Sierra Medical Center.