OVP HEALTH receives USDA grant to enhance telehealth services
(Huntington, WV) OVP HEALTH, based in Huntington, WV, has received a grant of $429,841 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance telehealth services at its operations in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
As a condition of the grant, and as part of OVP HEALTH’s mission to build healthier communities, OVP HEALTH will also contribute a 15-percent match of $64,500, bringing the total investment in telehealth services enhancement in the region to $494,341.
The grant will enable OVP HEALTH to develop telehealth rooms at its facilities, which will feature state-of-the-art equipment such as large, interactive touch screen monitors; computers; audio/visual equipment; and printers; to allow healthcare providers and patients to communicate effectively over a secured connection. The goal of the project is to improve access to care for all people, particularly those living in remote or rural areas that do not have easy access to equipment or a broadband connection.
“OVP HEALTH is very excited to be awarded this grant,” said Paul E. Cowsar, DNP, OVP HEALTH chief operations officer. “We have been providing telehealth services for several years, and have seen a substantial increase in its use during the pandemic. This grant will greatly improve access to quality patient care, including medical care, medication-assisted treatment, and counseling services.”
“Currently, patients with access to broadband internet service from home or a community location can access care from our providers remotely, but those without access to broadband service often do without care,” said Stacey Shy, OVP HEALTH chief executive officer. “Our dedicated telehealth rooms will help extend quality care to every community and every individual who needs it.”
“The focus of this grant aligns perfectly with our company’s core values of Family, Community, Quality and Integrity,” said Robert A. Hess, MD, OVP HEALTH president and co-founder. “We believe access to quality health care is a basic, human right; and that it’s essential for building healthy families and healthy communities. And at OVP HEALTH, we view it as our responsibility to do everything in our power to enhance and extend that access to everyone.”
OVP HEALTH, managed by LINEAGE HEALTH SOLUTIONS, LLC, provides an extensive range of emergency department and hospitalist services for local and regional hospitals; operates primary care and after-hours facilities; and offers accredited outpatient and inpatient medication-assisted treatment and counseling services for people suffering from addiction in a growing number of communities across West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.
