The Nord Center receives grants for telehealth

The Nord Center, in Lorain, received $101,294 for laptop computers, smartboards, telecommunications equipment and network upgrades to greatly increase access to care by using connected devices to safely monitor and treat patients, according to a news release.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, announced June 12 that the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau

awarded $398,125 in telehealth grants to three Ohio health care facilities, including The Nord Center, that will use this funding to provide telehealth services targeted at low-income patients so that they can receive medical care in more flexible settings.

“These new federal grants are good news for folks all across Ohio,” Portman said in the release. “During this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, telehealth has become a vital service for Ohioans to receive the health care consultations they need without having to leave the safety of their homes.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure Ohioans have the resources they need during these uncertain times.”

Wayne HealthCare, in Greenville, was awarded $2,082 for tablets and phones to expand telehealth and to provide communication with patients’ families after urgent care, emergency surgery, and other treatment or services when families are excluded from the clinic.

Aultman Hospital, in Canton, received $294,749 for a telehealth platform, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile hotspots, network upgrades and telehealth equipment so patients can access medical care on any smartphone, tablet or computer, and receive COVID-19 care, urgent, behavioral and primary care, and other services.