September Network News

*Member Spotlight: Moab Regional Hospital

*Back to School in Utah! School-based Telehealth Update

*Impact Highlight: UTN's Monitoring System Saves the Day!

*Eccles Health Sciences Library Breaks Through the Paywall

*Last Chance: Deb LaMarche Telehealth Excellence Award

*Limited Registrations: Rural Health Association of Utah Conference

Member Spotlight: Moab Regional Hospital Expands!

44,000 Square Feet of New & Renovated Space Expansion Highlights!

*Recovery Center

*Family Medicine and Mental Health Services

*Urgent Care and Emergency Department

*Surgical Center

*Oncology and Wound Care

*Retail Pharmacy

*Laboratory, Cardiopulmonary, and Imaging Services

Did You Know? Moab's former hospital (Allen Memorial) was the second site added to the UTN network in 1996! Their most recent expansion includes a newly remodeled Urgent Care and Emergency Department utilizing Telestroke and Teleburn to access stroke and burn care specialists for their patients.

Left to Right: Marz Cesarini (UTN Associate Director of IT); Jen Sadoff (MRH CEO);Sarah Bauman (UTN Director of Telehealth Services); Mike Foster (MRH IT Director)

UTN staff joined Moab Regional Hospital (MRH) CEO Jen Sadoff and IT Director Mike Foster to discuss their network needs, telehealth applications, and future partnership opportunities in the areas of broadband access, telemedicine, cybersecurity, digital literacy, professional development, and more!

Provider Access for School-based Telehealth

UTN has the unique purpose of connecting people and technologies to improve healthcare in Utah. In line with this purpose, our team spearheaded a pilot project in 2021 to bridge the gap between education and telehealth by providing school nurses with telehealth technology to perform virtual visits and evaluate the health of students remotely. UTN partnered with 19Labs to deliver 174 telehealth kits to 21 rural school districts in Utah, funded by the CARES Act.

The School-based Telehealth Project aims to reduce school absences and increase access to healthcare for students in Utah.

We are excited to announce that UTN worked with school nurses,19Labs, as well as medical providers such as Intermountain Health Care to improve the technology, increase security, and provide school districts with an option for working with an external medical provider. School nurses play a vital role in schools and communities by providing numerous services, including direct care of student health, chronic disease management, screenings, and more. With the ability to link with an external medical care provider, school nurses are able to help students access specialists, manage chronic conditions, address essential medical needs, and reduce the amount of time a student is away from class.

To learn more about UTN's School-based Telehealth Project, contact sarah@utn.org.

Impact Highlight: UTN's Monitoring Saves the Day!

UTN’s Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) monitoring platform recently raised alarms for a healthcare clinic with temperatures exceeding 110-degree F in the secure data room. The alert was referred to the healthcare provider and it was discovered that the wall-mounted HVAC system had failed. The IT specialists on site were able to address the issue, preventing potential damage and service interruption for the clinic. 

Solving the Paywall Problem

The Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) at the University of Utah is spearheading an initiative to enable Utah-licensed physicians to retrieve full-text articles from PubMed without encountering a publisher paywall. Read HERE to learn more about this pilot program, how it can benefit you, and how you can participate.

Telehealth Excellence Award

Last Call for Nominations: Open Until September 30!

The Deborah LaMarche Telehealth Excellence Award is presented annually to an individual or organization in Utah that has accomplished outstanding work in the field of telehealth, including the areas of policy development, innovative programs and activities, technology, patient and/or provider support, education, and training.

The first award was given to Deborah LaMarche for her 25 years of tireless service in assisting individuals and organizations in Utah and across the nation in developing successful telehealth programs.

Recognizing the importance of IT development and innovative technologies in the success of telehealth programs, the 2024 Deborah LaMarche Telehealth Excellence Award will honor a provider in Utah who has accomplished outstanding work in the IT sector. 

Nominees should demonstrate work related to the application of innovative technologies and how these technologies have increased service delivery and access to healthcare in rural or underserved urban communities for diverse patient populations.

Nominations will be accepted until September 30. To submit a nomination, please complete this form. Nominations will be scored by UTN staff and advisory council members. 

The announcement of the recipient and the award ceremony will take place in November at the Rural Health Association of Utah’s 2024 Conference (see below).

2024 Rural Health Association of Utah

Annual Conference

November 13 — 14

Dixie Convention Center, St. George, Utah

The 2024 Annual Rural Health Association of Utah Conference will take place on November 13 and 14 in St. George, Utah. The annual conference is dedicated to promoting and improving rural healthcare in Utah. Join us for two days of insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and knowledge sharing. 

The theme of this year’s conference is Cultivating Healthier Lives in Rural Utah. Breakout sessions will cover healthcare trends, resources, and rural health issues, including presentations from several innovators in the rural Utah healthcare community. 

Don’t Miss the Third Annual Rural Health Association of Utah

Scholarship Golf Tournament!

The tournament will take place 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13 at the Sunbrook Golf Club, rated by Golf Digest as the best golf course in Utah! 

All proceeds from the tournament will go towards scholarships for college students from rural Utah who are pursuing healthcare careers through the Utah Health Scholars pre-health program at Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University.

Come support our future healthcare providers and enjoy excellent company and a beautiful afternoon with a spectacular view of Snow Canyon! Registration for the tournament will open later this month; for more information about the tournament visit here. 

The mission of the Rural Health Association of Utah is to provide a unified voice to promote and enhance the quality of rural health through leadership, coalition building, and education.

Learn More About the RHAU Conference