California Launches Nation's Largest Telehealth Network

The California Telehealth Network (CTN), which will be the largest dedicated telehealth network in the country, made its official launch. The network will connect devices in medical facilities from all corners of the state. The project aims to expand health care access while providing significant security and performance improvements over existing telehealth networks, including the ability for time-sensitive or emergency transmissions to receive top priority.


Led by the University of California system, the California Telehealth Network (CTN) is a partnership of organizations throughout the state established in 2007 as part of a $22 million pilot project from the Federal Communications Commission.


Earlier this year, AT&T was selected to build a secure, medical-grade telecommunications system for the project. AT&T's tasks for the project include establishing new, or upgrading existing, telemedicine connections, especially in rural communities throughout the state. The nearly $30 million project will increase bandwidth capacity for telecommunications so that clinics, hospitals or other provider sites will have direct, peer-to-peer connectivity to all network members, plus connections to a wide range of external networks and services.


As part of this official, the first two remote sites have been activated -- the Oroville Hospital in Orville and CommuniCare Health Center in West Sacramento. CTN aims to connect over 800 sites within its first three years.
http://www.caltelehealth.org/