Baucus, Tester: Shorter drives for health-care on the way

Senators secure telemedicine funding for Miles City health center

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Folks in Eastern Montana will soon be a lot closer to cutting-edge medical technology thanks to a more than $167,000 dollar appropriation secured by Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester.

Miles City’s Holy Rosary Healthcare plans to use the funding to purchase a high-tech system to send patients’ electronic x-ray images to medical facilities across rural Montana, eliminating the need for long drives and wait times.  The system will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Holy Rosary will partner with smaller hospitals to provide service to patients in facilities closer to their homes.

Baucus and Tester fought to include the $167,030 in an overall spending bill despite President Bush’s threat to veto at-home spending measures put forth by Congress.

“This is exactly what technology should be used for—allowing folks in rural areas to live healthier, longer lives,” Baucus said.  “Jon and I fought hard to make sure that the excellent care that Holy Rosary provides is available to more people in more communities.”

“Telemedicine is shortening the distances between doctors and patients and improving access to quality healthcare for folks across Eastern Montana,” Tester said.  “I look forward to getting out to Custer County and seeing these resources put to work.”

This funding for Holy Rosary is now headed to President Bush, who said this week that he hopes to sign it.