RALEIGH, NC – CarolinaLink recently presented UNC Children’s Hospital with a $50,000 donation to support rural health programs across North Carolina. This contribution is part of CarolinaLink’s 10-year, $500,000 commitment to UNC Children’s telemedicine program, which is expanding access to specialty care in rural communities.
“Creating innovative ways to provide care to patients close to home, where they live, work, and play is part of UNC Children’s mission to serve the state,” shared VP of Children’s Health Jeff Anderson, MD, MPH. “This critical support from CarolinaLink will continue to help us expand and transform health for all of North Carolina’s children, with services such as telehealth directly to families in their homes, connecting pediatric subspecialists with primary care clinics, expanding mental health services and newborn care through telemedicine in our distant UNC Hospitals, and allow us to search for even more novel ways to connect excellent care to families where they live.”
The partnership began in 2021, as growing demand for telehealth services in rural areas, particularly those far from the Research Triangle, highlighted the need for improved access to pediatric specialty care. In response, CarolinaLink joined UNC Children’s Hospital’s telehealth program efforts, with its pledged funding helping equip pediatric offices across the state with the infrastructure needed to support telehealth and launch programs that bring specialty care closer to patients in rural communities.
“We see every day how important reliable connectivity is, not just for staying in touch but for accessing essential services like health care,” remarked Ken Mills, CEO of CarolinaLink member cooperative Zirrus. “That’s why CarolinaLink’s partnership with UNC Children’s Hospital is so meaningful to us, and why we are proud to continue supporting these vital efforts to help bring care closer to home.”
CarolinaLink consists of North Carolina’s seven broadband cooperatives – FOCUS Broadband, Randolph Communications, RiverStreet Networks, Star Communications, SkyLine/SkyBest, Surry Communications and Zirrus. Together, the cooperatives serve more than 200,000 households, most in rural areas in the state.
For more information about CarolinaLink and their members, visit www.carolinalink.org.