WASHINGTON D.C. – A Defiance County health care provider received new federal resources for mental health telemedicine equipment. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio in Defiance County will receive a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase updated equipment that will allow mental health care providers to treat patients through teleconferencing.
“Quality health care services—especially in rural communities—are crucial to every Ohioan’s well-being,” Brown said. “These new resources will allow Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio to easily and quickly provide care for patients in northern Ohio.”
According to USDA Rural Development, the $178,583 loan will be used to purchase telemedicine equipment necessary to provide a direct live video link to physicians for psychiatric care residents.
With only three part-time service providers in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Williams counties, this area has been designated as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Patients are often forced to either forego psychiatric treatment entirely, or travel lengthy distances to receive care. This project will increase access to care by allowing teleconferencing between the hub location in Defiance and the remote sites throughout surrounding counties and patient’s homes.
Brown, Chair of the Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth, and Energy Innovation, has held more than 200 roundtables throughout the state and is the first Ohioan to serve on both the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee.
