Belmond hospital lands $463,000 telemedicine grant
BELMOND — A north-central Iowa hospital is getting over $463,000 as part of a US Department of Agriculture grant program that’s providing telemedicine and distance learning services to increase access to education, training and healthcare resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable in rural Iowa.
The Belmond Community Hospital received a $463,644 grant to equip five hub/end-user sites, one end-user site, and multiple non-fixed locations throughout Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock and Wright counties in north-central Iowa with telehealth computer software, cyber security software and at-home patient devices for telehealth appointments. The USDA says medical professionals at Iowa Specialty Hospital will deliver mental health care to six locations benefitting 2900 individuals.
The $1.8 million in awards in Belmond as well as to hospitals in Clarinda and Corydon came through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program. The competitive program helps rural communities use advanced telecommunications technology to connect to each other and the world to overcome the effects of remoteness and low population density.
