Medicine at Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center took a turn for the better Thursday when the health center unveiled its new telemedicine capability linked to doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Fla.
"This is a digital stethoscope and they can listen in Florida," said John Santangelo, Cleveland Clinic’s technology expert responsible for setting up the system.
It works similarly to video conferencing. A web cam sits atop a screen located across from an examination table at the health center. Doctors at Cleveland Clinic can hear the patient’s heartbeat, examine skin through a light scope, look at X-rays, and much more.
The project is a joint effort between the heath center, the Cleveland Clinic, the Rotary Club of St. John and St. John resident Donald Sussman, who donated $72,000 for the project. However, Rotary president B.J. Harris said the bill for the three-year contract will run about $135,000.
"We’ll raise the rest of the funds," she said.
When the money runs out, Harris said that it will be up to Legislature to appropriate funds.
Work on the project started in 2007 when health center administrator Harold Wallace went to then Rotary President Joan Bermingham to ask for assistance.
"This has been a long road to pull the project together," he said.
The health center’s focus was to expand medical services, increase medical access and decrease off island travel time for St. John residents, Wallace said.
Wallace stressed that the telemedicine capability will not replace local physician care. Rather, it will allow the health center’s doctors to consult with specialists at the Cleveland Clinic. This will save patients both time and money, Wallace said.
The focus will be on pulmonology, dermatology, rheumatology, and pre- and post-operative cardiac care, Wallace said.
It was a feel-good day for the health center and all those involved in the project. Officials from Schneider Regional Medical Center, which oversees operations at the health center, were on hand to say a few words.
"St. John is a trail blazer here," Schneider Medical Director Dr. Thelma Watson said.
Dr. Mercedes Dullum, a cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and a moving force behind the project, said the telemedicine capability allows for state-of-the-art care in remote locations like St. John.
"It allows for more rapid diagnosis and treatment," she said.
