Telehealth helps one provider org overcome rural and pandemic challenges

Clark County Rehabilitation and Living Center is using FCC award funds to expand its Polycom device-based program to keep patients on schedule with mental health and general care. Clark County Rehabilitation and Living Center (CCRLC) in Owen, Wisconsin, is a rural healthcare provider that offers its patients a small-town, patient-centered care focus.

THE PROBLEM

Like many rural healthcare organizations, CCRLC has faced the challenge of recruiting mental health providers, due in part to the shortage of professionals in the specialty. This is where telemedicine comes in: It provides CCRLC a gateway for mental health providers to offer these services at the rural campus.

CCRLC currently uses two Polycom devices to provide the link between the mental health provider and the patient receiving services. The process requires patient, staff and provider coordination to ensure a room and a Polycom device are both available for the service.