Amid a pandemic that has drastically impacted the way rural hospitals provide services, telehealth has provided patients and staff at Smith County Memorial Hospital desperately needed services and support. Allen Van Driel, CEO of the northern Kansas hospital, said medical professionals been able to connect with specialists from distant sites to provide services to their local patient base. The added hands were especially critical at the beginning of the pandemic when patients were scared to come in, he said. “Telehealth has been especially effective in providing access to providers in the emergency department,” Van Driel said. “We now have a backup system in place of distant-site ER physicians available, so it greatly enhances our ability to deliver services.” Van Driel was among half a dozen rural hospital administrators from across Kansas who joined Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday to discuss the unique health care challenges faced in remote areas of the state, and what has and can be done to overcome them.
Source: Kansas Reflector
