Liueutenant Governor tours Franklin Hospital, discusses Telehealth Program

Franklin Hospital board with the Lieutenant Governor

BENTON – Illinois Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti toured Franklin Hospital on Friday and witnessed a demonstration of a TeleHealth clinic visit provided through Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in Springfield. “Time and again I have heard about the lack of specialty and primary care availability in rural communities,” said Lt. Governor Sanguinetti, who serves as chairman of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council. “Residents can face 60 to 90 minute drive times to major medical facilities, and this is only if they have access to reliable transportation. Improving our TeleHealth infrastructure will address these rural health disparities and offer innovative ways to provide the quality healthcare access that all Illinoisans deserve.” Nina M. Antoniotti, Executive Director of TeleHealth and Clinical Outreach for the SIU School of Medicine, outlined the program for the Lt. Governor, saying “Illinois is way behind many other states when it comes to public policy that removes the barriers to the use of TeleHealth to improve access, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce cost to the state for health care programs serving our state’s most vulnerable populations.” Please click on the link to read the rest of the story from WMCL Radio in McLeansboro