Dear Colleagues,
On Friday, October 17, the University of Missouri School of Medicine was thrilled to welcome U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt to the Missouri Telehealth Network (MTN) offices.
Alongside Mirna Becevic, PhD, associate professor of Dermatology and director of Telehealth Research; Whitney LeFevre, MD, assistant dean for rural health; and Rachel Mutrux, director of MTN, we introduced Sen. Blunt to the offerings of MTN, Show-Me ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) and the Center for Telehealth Research and Policy.
MTN’s goal is to increase access to patient-centered health care via telehealth for rural and underserved Missourians by providing technical assistance to health care organizations, partnering with key stakeholders, operating telehealth programs, and supporting and developing telehealth policies.
The Center for Telehealth Research and Policy (C-TRaP), established earlier this year thanks to a new $4 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, unites experts from Mizzou, Michigan State University and the University of Mississippi to explore how telehealth can improve care in rural and underserved areas by evaluating its effectiveness, cost and impact. C-TRaP develops scalable, evidence-based solutions that inform healthcare practice and policy at all levels, advancing equity, access and quality nationwide.
Two of MTN’s projects include Show-Me ECHO and the Rural Citizens Access to Telehealth (RCAT) program. Show-Me Echo, MTN’s flagship program, launched in 2014 to connect interdisciplinary teams of experts with health care providers via videoconferencing technology. The program is now one of the largest ECHO programs in the country, reaching every Missouri county and the City of St. Louis.
RCAT, a partnership between the MTN and the Missouri Department of Social Services, provides funding, education and training to help rural providers serving Medicaid patients introduce or expand telehealth services, improving access, reducing barriers and supporting better patient outcomes.
The former senator has a history of supporting research at Mizzou. To honor this legacy, the University of Missouri Board of Curators honored him in 2021 by naming the NextGen Precision Health building after him.
We thank Sen. Blunt for his contributions to not only the School of Medicine but the entire UM System. Throughout his career, he advanced Mizzou’s mission by securing key funding and facilitating important partnerships. Programs like the ones we introduced to him at the Missouri Telehealth Network wouldn’t be possible without his impactful leadership.
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean, School of Medicine
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
