County 19: Warren

In the Information Age that we live in now, it’s pretty easy for us to take information technology for granted. You’re reading this post on a blog or in an email, and it’s almost second nature.

But for some of the most rural parts of our state, that connectivity has been a long time coming. That’s why I visited St. Vincent’s Hospital in Williamsport to celebrate their inclusion in the Indiana Telehealth Network (ITN).



Lt. Governor Skillman talks with a St. Vincent's
Williamsport doctor about the Indiana
Telehealth Nework.



ITN will connect 60 rural hospitals and health centers in Indiana with fiber broadband. St. Vincent’s Williamsport is a small hospital with only about 10 beds. Connecting them with fiber will allow advances such as real-time video conferencing with specialists. Rather than traveling to another city or state, patients could get a diagnosis right from Williamsport.

Running broadband to the hospital also allows much of Warren County to be connected as well.

I’ve seen throughout this Crossroads Tour that every community has its own challenges. Some 95 percent of Indiana has high-speed internet coverage, so many Hoosiers might be surprised to learn that not all areas are connected. That’s why agencies I oversee – like the Office of Community and Rural Affairs – have a variety of programs to fit each community’s needs.