Senator Stabenow Announces New Investments to Expand Health Care in the Upper Peninsula

Two new grants, funded in the 2018 Farm Bill, will provide telemedicine resources to treat opioid addiction and improve cancer detection in UP rural communities

Thursday, November 21, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today announced nearly $600,000 in new funding to expand access to health care through new telemedicine resources in four Upper Peninsula counties. This new federal support will ensure patients can get the care they need without traveling long distances to seek medical attention.

 

This investment comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine program in the 2018 Farm Bill, which Senator Stabenow co-authored.

 

"Michigan families in rural communities often lack access to health care services close to home," said Senator Stabenow. "Thanks to state-of-the-art telehealth technology, patients in the UP are able to get important checkups and medical care even though the doctor is hundreds of miles away.”

 

Helen Newberry Joy Hospital will receive $500,000 to purchase telemedicine equipment for three sites in Luce and Mackinac counties. Mammography equipment will be upgraded, improving cancer detection.

 

Ortele Health will receive $99,978 to provide telehealth treatment for opioid misuse and general medical care in Gogebic, Mackinac, Luce, and Marquette counties.