Telecommunications to Help Pregnant Women Get Treatment

Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) has received a $24,000 grant from Verizon for a telemedicine pilot program—the Inland Model for Perinatal Advancement through Collaboration and Telecommunication, or IMPACT.

IMPACT is a plan designed to optimize pregnancy outcomes for mothers and babies in the Inland Empire by linking patients and doctors in more rural areas with LLUMC specialists via telemedicine.

Headed by LLUMC’s Medical Director of Maternal/Fetal Medicine, Bryan Oshiro, M.D., the 12-month pilot program will begin in 2012. Patients and caregivers from St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley will be connected to LLUMC with the goal of expanding the program to other hospitals in the region over the next five years.

“Prenatal care is essential, and IMPACT will make it possible for women to receive the specialized care they may need, usually in their own community,” said Dr. Oshiro. “The limited resources available to patients and providers in the region make it imperative that a streamlined, accessible network of perinatal services be developed. Loma Linda University Medical Center is so thankful for the opportunity Verizon has given us to jump-start this telemedicine program.”

LLUMC is the only multidisciplinary, hospital-based maternal-fetal medicine clinic and the only hospital offering full scope medical and surgical services for critical newborns in the region.

In addition to the grant, Verizon will be providing the interactive video cameras necessary to facilitate IMPACT.

“IMPACT is a great example of utilizing cutting edge technology to care for mothers and their babies - that is why Verizon is proud to partner with LLUMC,” said Verizon Director of External Affairs Michael Page.