By: Palmetto Care Connections
New, State-of-the-Art Telehealth Services Offered in Partnership with Southeastern Regional Housing Authority
Palmetto Care Connections (PCC) – a non-profit organization headquartered in Bamberg that brings technology, broadband, and telehealth solutions to health care providers in rural and underserved areas in South Carolina – today announced a partnership with Southeastern Regional Housing Authority (Southeastern).
As a part of the partnership, PCC and Southeastern will bring affordable internet access – through a private Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) owned and operated by Palmetto Care Connections – to residents at Estill Village Apartments located in rural, Hampton County.
“The power of partnerships – part of the lifeblood of our work at PCC – provides people across South Carolina with opportunities for improved quality of life through innovative telehealth technology,” said PCC CEO Kathy Schwarting. “Thanks to the hard work of the Southeastern Regional Housing Authority and our team, the residents of Estill Village will enjoy new, state of the art internet and health services.”
Access to health care services for residents in many parts of rural South Carolina is a continuing challenge. PCC and Southeastern address this challenge with affordable and reliable connectivity and connections to primary healthcare providers as a part of their partnership by bringing health care services into the home.
PCC installed modems in Estill Village, powered by the Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP), that deliver internet service to individual apartments at no cost to customers.
“Digital access is an essential tool to receive services such as healthcare, benefits, housing, and more. We are proud partners of PCC to expand internet access and telehealth services to our residents at Estill Village,” said Beth Overton, Deputy Director, Southeastern Housing and Community Development. “Working together, we are making a difference for rural communities in South Carolina.”
In addition to PCC’s installation of WISP, Southeastern, utilizing grant funding, will provide free connected devices to all Estill Village residents.
Once residents have their device, PCC, which also specializes in teaching digital literacy, will provide optional in-person or virtual digital literacy classes. These classes will teach residents how to use their new devices, how to connect devices to the internet, and how to conduct a telehealth visit.
“The most exciting part about this WISP announcement is the capacity not only to support individuals but entire families,” said Schwarting. “Our digital literacy team is second-to-none, and they will teach residents to use email, virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom and how to connect family and friends to telehealth services. When we can teach an entire family – and dozens of members of a community – how to use telehealth services, it motivates our entire team to keep working for those who would benefit from access to innovative telehealth solutions across South Carolina.”
When the WISP set-up is complete, and residents are equipped with their connected devices, PCC will be able to help individuals connect with healthcare providers utilizing state of the art telehealth technology at Estill Village, including medical equipment such as an otoscope, a stethoscope and a body exam camera enabling residents to experience an extensive telehealth visit without leaving home.
