The Southeast Telehealth Network: Using Technology to Overcome the Barriers to Rural Public Health Practice

Rural public health districts often cover vast geographical areas, making communication and administration an ongoing challenge.1, 2 A meeting or staff training may involve practitioners driving hundreds of miles. Besides being inefficient, this is unsustainable and environmentally unsound. Rural public health districts also have experienced drastic cuts in funding and personnel, further crippling their capacity.3, 4 It is vital that they overcome the barriers imposed by distance and limited funding to provide services that address rural health disparities. Innovative telehealth programs have the potential to mitigate some of these challenges. Many rural and remote areas have utilized telehealth to increase access to medical services.2, 5 However, there are no published evaluations of telehealth networks developed by state-funded public health districts to overcome the barriers to rural public health practice.