Ritchie Regional Health Center receives Telehealth grant for COVID-19

by: Heather Hale

Posted: Jan 3, 2022 / 06:02 PM EST

Updated: Jan 3, 2022 / 06:02 PM EST

HARRISVILLE, W.Va. – The Ritchie Regional Health Center (RRHC) received a Federal Communications Commission Telehealth grant for COVID-19.

The grant is for $960,444 and will be used to buy Telehealth kiosks and remote patient monitoring devices. The monitoring devices will be sent home with chronic patients to monitor things like blood pressure and blood glucose.

The Telehealth kiosks offer a remote general office visit with a professional. The remote visit option caters to those with no transportation and people who are afraid to come in and risk exposure to COVID-19.

“It helps us to connect to those patients who don’t want to come into the office but still need that type of care, so we’re able to reach those patients this way, and we thought that was the best way to use this money. It also helps us to monitor those sickest patients and the most vulnerable, so we can keep ahead of everything that may be going on with them health-wise,” said Amy Yokum, Ritchie Regional Health Center CEO.

The Ritchie Regional Health Center is a federally qualified healthcare center, so they offer services to anyone with a sliding fee scale based on family size and income level. The sliding fee does not apply to pharmacy services.

Services available include medical, dental, x-ray and behavioral health.

RRHC has primary care services at seven facilities across Doddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie and Wood counties.