The Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) has announced a new participant in the Indiana Telehealth Network (ITN). St. Vincent Randolph Hospital, located in Winchester, Indiana, has chosen to partner with Indiana Fiber Network for their participation in the ITN.
IRHA will be hosting a “lighting ceremony” at 2:00 p.m. on December 17 at St. Vincent Randolph hospital in Winchester to commemorate the event. Speakers will include St. Vincent Randolph Hospital CEO, Francis Albarano; Indiana Fiber Network President, Kelly Dyer; Indiana Telehealth Network Director, Becky Sanders; and Mayor of Winchester, Indiana, Steven Croyle.
Construction of approximately 25 miles of fiber-optic cabling to the hospital was completed in November 2012. The project not only brings broadband connectivity to St. Vincent Randolph Hospital, but also creates a connection hub in Randolph County, IN.
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The ITN is a collaboration between IRHA and its member institutions, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Telecommunications Association (ITA). The ITN is funded through the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Health Care Pilot Program (FCC RHCPP), administered by USAC.
Kelly Dyer, CEO of Indiana Fiber Network, comments, “We are looking forward to working with community leaders in Winchester and Randolph County to help promote the availability of the fiber-optic assets and to market the excess capacity to potential users.”
In order to accomplish these goals, the efforts of Kevin Law, the former Executive Director of Randolph Economic Development Corp., and Mayor Steve Croyle, City of Winchester, are to be commended for all the time, effort and resources utilized to make this happen, said IRHA in a statement.
“Realizing the potential big picture benefit for Winchester and Randolph County has been a rewarding process. Without the tremendous cooperation between the Winchester Redevelopment Commission, and St. Vincent Randolph Hospital, the project could never have happened. Our next big task is to continue this momentum and proactively recruit additional partners to grow extensions from this pipeline,” said Mayor Croyle.
Don Kelso, Executive Director of IRHA added, “The Indiana Rural Health Association, along with its Indiana Telehealth Network, is very pleased that St. Vincent Randolph and the community of Winchester are able to have broadband constructed to their area. Fiber and the bandwidth it provides will be critical for improved healthcare and enhanced economic development opportunities.”
Indiana Fiber Network, LLC (IFN) was formed in March of 2002, whose ownership is comprised of twenty local exchange telephone companies throughout the state. They offer data center, Internet backbone, and data transport services over a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network, with service available in the State of Indiana and throughout the US via a network of national carrier partners.
For more information, visit IFN’s website at www.ifncom.net or call 317-280-4636. More information on the ITN can be found on the IRHA website at www.indianaruralhealth.org under Programs/Indiana Telehealth Network.
Source: Indiana Rural Health Association
