N.C. Institute for Public Health helps secure FCC funding for wireless broadband healthcare network

The public health partnerships are part of the public health incubator collaboratives program, made up of local health departments who work together voluntarily to address pressing local public health needs. The incubator collaboratives are funded by the N.C. General Assembly and coordinated by the UNC School of Public Health’s North Carolina Institute for Public Health.

The FCC grant will plan for and pilot a wireless broadband health care network for participating health departments and rural health clinics to promote public health and disease management interventions. Phred Pilkington, health director of the Cabarrus Health Alliance, said the funding would enable rural clinics to be connected with regional medical centers and would help clinics better serve their patients.

Photograph of Dr. John Graham

John Graham, PhD, deputy director for outreach and consultation at the Institute, and Dave Kirby, a consultant to the Institute, have worked with the Cabarrus Health Alliance and with other member health departments in the Southern Piedmont Partnership and the Northeastern North Carolina Partnership to coordinate the development of the proposal. Graham and Kirby also have worked on related proposals to design an electronic personal health record and mobile applications to monitor and disseminate health-related information electronically.

The FCC is granting money to 42 states as a part of the Universal Service Health Care Pilot Program, which will connect more than 6,000 health care facilities nationwide. North Carolina is the first state to receive the grant.

School of Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu