Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) has received a $1,500 grant from the Contributions Committee at Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT). The award will help offset equipment costs for CVHHH’s telehealth program.
The WCVT Contributions Committee is an employee-led giving group that allocates funds and in-kind gifts to local organizations focused on health, education, and community service. “Vermonters are fortunate to have organizations like CVHHH providing compassionate care and essential services to members of our communities,” says Lorraine Keener, WCVT’s Marketing Administrator. “We are proud to support CVHHH’s efforts and the positive impact you make in the lives of so many.”
Telehealth, or remote patient monitoring, connects home health patients who live with chronic conditions and who are at high risk of hospitalization with a CVHHH home health nurse who monitors their health and vital signs daily. Participants in the program are given a handheld tablet equipped with video and audio functionality to record their vital signs, and a home health nurse reviews the data to ensure their readings are within a safe range. If readings indicate an exacerbation of a patient’s chronic condition, the nurse can communicate with the patient and intervene before a visit to the hospital is necessary.
This program has demonstrated success in bridging healthcare access, cost, and system capacity, particularly in rural communities. However, Medicare, CVHHH’s primary payor, does not reimburse telehealth services for home health patients. The grant from WCVT’s Contributions Committee will help bridge residual program costs and expand access to tablets and telehealth software for Central Vermonters.
