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July 2021

Jul 12
Love0

Baby Steps: A mother and nurse partnership

By News

For LaShawna Nicholson, the journey of motherhood has been full of joyful moments.

“Chance is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Nicholson said. “He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s busy. He keeps me on my toes.”

As a first-time mother, Nicholson said she had a lot of questions throughout her pregnancy and after the birth of her son Chance, who is now two years old. Nicholson said she was grateful for the support of Debbie Brush, a registered nurse with Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s Nurse Family Partnership Program. The partnership program connects mothers to a registered nurse who guides the mother through her pregnancy and into the first two years of their child’s life.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses would visit mothers at their homes. But since the start of the pandemic, nurses have used telehealth to connect with mothers.

“With telehealth, it’s been a life-saver for us,” Brush said. “It definitely has opened the doors for us to be able to keep the lines of communication open and to give (mothers) the information that they need, even though we are not able to be in the home.”

Throughout the past year, Brush and Nicholson have connected through Zoom calls to discuss Chance’s developmental milestones. Brush has offered advice on everything from language development to potty training and nap schedules. Nicholson said it helped to know that she could call any time if she had questions.

“I wish everybody could go through what I went through. It was awesome, she was awesome,” Nicholson said. “It was a good experience.”

Source:  SCETV

Jul 12
Love0

Seniors Complete Digital Literacy Training

By News

BAMBERG, SC—Senior citizens aged 60 years and up from Barnwell and Allendale counties recently completed a three-session digital literacy learning program conducted by Palmetto Care Connections (PCC), a state-wide, non-profit telehealth organization.

The program was part of a pilot funded by the Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the S.C. Department on Aging to help 100 seniors who live in rural communities with digital literacy training, a free digital tablet and free cellular service for 12 months.

Senior citizens completed hands-on training using a digital tablet and learned skills such as how to send and receive photos and emails, search the internet for information, connect with family and friends using a virtual face to face app, play games and connect with their doctor for virtual telehealth appointments. PCC will provide ongoing technical support for the seniors who complete the program.

Program participant Eartha Jamison of Blackville said, “These are things I always wanted to learn. This training really advanced me. Now I want to help advance others and teach them things about the internet that they do not know how to do.”

“I’m planning on using telehealth. It’s good to have the opportunity to talk to my doctor without having to go to his office. I want to take some classes now and help someone else,” said Henry Singleton of Allendale.

“I enjoyed the class, liked the people, and could follow instructions they gave. I learned about sending and receiving emails, which is something I didn’t know. It makes me feel real good,” said Leslie Dowling of Blackville. “When I was growing up, I didn’t have any of this. Before this class, I didn’t know how to turn a computer on! I plan to do my banking online, play solitaire and keep in touch with my kids.”

Shawn Hege, Director of Senior Services at Generations Unlimited in Barnwell and Blackville said, “This program was amazing – a great service to our seniors, especially those who need more interaction. Seeing their faces light up when they connected with family and friends was incredible.” He added, “Seeing how you can use telehealth to talk to your doctor gives seniors a sense of security during the COVID pandemic.”

“The South Carolina Department on Aging works with a network of regional and local organizations to develop and manage services that help seniors remain independent in their homes and in their communities. SCDOA is pleased to be a part of the PCC Digital Inclusion pilot program focusing on seniors in five of South Carlina’s rural counties,” said Kay Hightower, SCDOA Senior Consultant, Outreach and Partnership Building.

“It is our hope that this pilot program will be a model of one approach to closing the digital divide in South Carolina,” said Kathy Schwarting, CEO of Palmetto Care Connections (PCC). “While PCC’s focus has traditionally been on serving rural health care providers with telehealth, broadband and technology resources, we have learned that patients need help in connecting to their health care providers. Residents of rural areas not only need internet access, they need access that is affordable and they need a device and knowledge to connect to resources for a better quality of life.”

Seniors from Clarendon, Lower Richland and Williamsburg counties are slated to complete the digital literacy training in the coming weeks as part of the initial pilot program. PCC plans to expand the training for senior and underserved populations throughout the state.

Established in 2010, PCC is a non-profit organization that provides technology, broadband, and telehealth support services to health care providers in rural and underserved areas in S.C. PCC received the National Cooperative of Health Network Association’s 2021 Outstanding Health Network of the Year award. PCC co-chairs the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, along with the Medical University of South Carolina, serving as an advocate for rural providers and partnering with organizations to improve health care access and delivery for all South Carolinians.

Senior Digital Literacy Training – Blackville Group One From Left to Right: Gloria Harvey (From Allendale), Edith Ridling, Vermell Thompson, Marcella Raysor, Liller Hamilton, Juliett Williams, Harriett McKnight, Jodeanna Hay, Earnestine Gloster, Instructor Carroll Brabham, and Eartha Betty Jamison

Senior Digital Literacy Training – Blackville Group Two From Left to Right: Rose Baxter, Lillie Harrison, Catherine Mack, Catherine Walker, Kenneth Mack, Lesley Dowling, Evelyn Coker (Blackville CDC and maven of the community) and Ada Felton.

Senior Digital Literacy Training – Allendale Group One Back Row: Enoch Robinson, Georgia Williams, Henry Singleton, Glinda Smith and Bernice Gill Front Row: Jannette Bennett, Mamie Peeples, Geraldine Cohen, Helen Bowers, Mary Edwards and Lavonia Brodus.

Senior Digital Literacy Training – Allendale Group Two Back Row: Jacqueline Adams, Vermelle Walker, Edmund Gill, Vivian Harvey, Elizabeth Joyner and Vernie Harney Front Row: Carolyn Gilbert, Lizzie Patterson, Mamie Morrell and Georgia Holmes.

Jul 06
Love0

FCC Provides Guidance for Connected Care Pilot Program, Selects Additional Projects

By News

At its June 17 Open Meeting, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted a Second Report and Order for its Connected Care Pilot Program, which provides administrative guidance that will enable award recipients to begin their pilot projects. On the same day, it announced its second set of projects awarded support through the Pilot Program.

The Connected Care Pilot was established in April 2020 to make up to $100 million in Universal Service Fund support available over three years for selected projects to defray costs for projects that will bring broadband connectivity and other connected care information services to eligible health care providers. The program is primarily aimed at supporting services that will benefit veterans and low-income patients. It is a longer term initiative than the short-term COVID-19 Telehealth Program designed to provide financial support for telehealth services, which are expected to remain in demand after the pandemic fully abates.

Second Report & Order

The Second Report and Order, which was released on June 21, 2021, builds on the administrative framework the FCC laid out when it established the Pilot Program and a September 2020 Public Notice that provided initial guidance to applicants. It specifically gives participants guidance on eligible services, funding rules and procedures, and data reporting requirements so they can begin their projects.

  • Eligible Services – The FCC previously established that the Pilot Program will cover up to 85% of the costs for eligible services, which include patient broadband Internet access services, health care provider broadband data connections, connected care information services, and certain network equipment. Health care providers are required to cover the remaining 15% of the costs and any ineligible expenses. The Second Report & Order clarifies that the Pilot Program will reimburse network equipment purchases necessary to make already-available broadband services functional and to enable health care providers to make connected care information services functional, even if the Pilot Program is not directly supporting the costs of those services. The equipment must be purchased either because of an increase in Internet traffic caused by the connected care services or because the equipment would be primarily used for connected care information services. This approach is more expansive than the Rural Health Care Program’s reimbursement framework. Pilot Program funds cannot be used to support network deployment, internal connections, or connectivity between health care provider sites, and are also prohibited for end-user connected devices, medical equipment, health care provider administrative costs, personnel costs, and other expenses.
  • Funding Rules and Procedures – The Pilot Program’s funding rules and procedures largely mirror those of the Rural HealthCare (“RHC”) Program. Participants need to follow the same competitive bidding rules for the services they are seeking to procure, including rules to ensure the bidding is fair and open and the requirement to select the most cost-effective option. Participants will also need to submit a Request for Funding to the Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”), which will evaluate service eligibility and issue a funding commitment decision. Just as with the RHC Program, Pilot Program participants will be able to make site and service substitutions. One notable difference is that the Pilot Program will not follow the typical July 1 to June 30 funding period, and participants will instead need to follow dates and deadlines provided by the FCC or USAC in correspondence or on their websites. The FCC also waived the procedural rule established in the First Report & Order that invoices be submitted monthly, which the agency thought might pose an undue administrative burden for some Pilot Program participants and would be difficult to enforce. Participants can only submit invoices for eligible expenses incurred within three years from the date their projects first begin service and no later than June 30, 2025.
  • Data Reporting Requirements – Pilot programs established by the FCC often become permanent if they are successful, and as part of the Connected Care Pilot Program, the FCC will study how connected care can become a permanent part of the Universal Service Fund. To this end, the FCC established three goals for the Pilot Program—determining how USF support can be used to: (1) improve health outcomes through connected care; (2) reduce health care costs for patients, facilities, and the health care system; and (3) support the trend towards connected care everywhere. To help evaluate the Pilot Program, the Second Report & Order directs participants to submit three annual reports to the FCC with anonymized, aggregated data. The final report must summarize final results and include explanations of whether the goals of the participant’s project were met and how the project served the FCC’s Pilot Program goals. The FCC’s Wireline Bureau will use the data to prepare a final report at the conclusion of the Pilot Program.

Award Recipients

The Connected Care Program is open to eligible rural non-profit and public health care providers and such non-rural providers that are part of a consortium, including post-secondary educational institutions, community health centers, local health departments or agencies, community mental health centers, not-for-profit hospitals, rural health clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more of these entities.

From the over 200 Pilot Program applications the FCC received, it has so far awarded over $57 million in funding for 59 pilot projects in 30 states plus Washington, DC, leaving nearly $43 million for future project selections. The FCC announced its initial set of 14 projects, awarding $26.5 million in support, on January 15, 2021, and the second set of 36 projects, requesting $31 million in support, on June 17, 2021. It has prioritized projects that will serve a high number of patients in the veteran and low-income populations, serve areas most in need of support for connected care, treat many of the health conditions targeted by the program, and use products and services eligible for support.

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