Greg Pence Announces Rural Telehealth Funding In Sixth District To Combat COVID-19 

Congratulations to Margaret Mary Health!!

Margaret Mary Community Hospital.

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Greg Pence (IN-06) announced the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved an additional 70 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in rural communities will use this funding to provide telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program was authorized by the CARES Act, which Congressman Pence voted to pass in March. Hancock Regional Hospital, in Greenfield, Indiana and Margaret Mary Community Hospital, in Batesville, Indiana both will be recipients of additional funding.

“I am glad to see the Federal Communications Commission award much needed telehealth funding to the Margaret Mary Community Hospital and Hancock Regional Hospital in the Sixth District to support their ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Congressman Pence. “This funding will enhance critical, life-saving technology to ensure our rural Hoosier communities have access to innovative health care services and are not left behind.”

Hancock Regional Hospital, in Greenfield, Indiana, was awarded $409,984 for laptop computers, mobile hotspots, telemedicine carts, desktop computers, tablets, remote patient monitoring equipment, a telehealth platform, videoconferencing equipment, network upgrades, and telecommunications equipment to expand the COVID-19 triage testing facility, to treat high-risk patients with virtual visits, and to support family electronic visitation to keep unnecessary visitors out of the hospital.

Margaret Mary Community Hospital, in Batesville, Indiana, was awarded $140,357 for remote patient monitoring equipment and a platform, videoconferencing equipment, tablets, mobile hotspots, telemedicine carts, and network upgrades to connect physicians and patients for remote medical exams, including lung exams to assess COVID-19, and to continue remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients to evaluate symptoms.