TERRE HAUTE —
Drawing on her rural background, Stephanie Laws understands the barriers many people face when seeking medical care.
Whether its fuel costs, distance to travel, or limited income, getting from a rural community to a doctor’s appointment in a distant city can be a challenge that drains patients and their families, both economically and emotionally.
Her own experience growing up in Bloomingdale in rural Parke County helped guide Laws as she worked with medical colleagues to advance the use of telemedicine to fill service gaps and improve the overall quality of health care services through technology.
Now, her guidance in developing the Wabash Valley Rural Telehealth Network has earned her statewide recognition as a 2012 recipient of an Indiana Premier Health Achievement Award presented by the Indiana Public Health Foundation.
Laws was honored last week at The Westin hotel in Indianapolis with an award in the field of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Her telehealth platform is now being instituted around the Midwest and the nation.
“I was so humbled and really astonished that I was nominated for such and award,” Laws told the Tribune-Star recently. “And to win the award — wow!”
Laws, a 1992 graduate of Rockville High School, had originally planned to pursue a degree in early childhood education. But after two years at Indiana State University, she changed her career path to nursing. By 1997, she was working at the hospital in Clinton, and in 1998 she began working for Union Hospital Health Group to manage emergency, medical-surgical, ambulatory surgery and intensive care departments at Union Hospital Clinton.
In 2008, a position came open at the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health at Union Hospital, and Laws made the move to be manager of the telehealth and innovative technologies department. This past September, she was also named executive director of the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative which has the goal of improving and expanding health care education, especially for rural providers, while also developing health care-related jobs and revitalizing the Terre Haute neighborhood that lies between Union Hospital and the ISU campus.
Telemedicine allows interaction between health care providers and patients in different locations. For instance, a patient in Sullivan who needs to see a cardiologist in Terre Haute does not need to make the long drive north, but instead can be seen at a Sullivan office that has a video link to the doctor in Terre Haute. The video conference allows the cardiologist to speak with the patient and the attending health care provider, and live data from the patient — heart tones, breath sounds and other patient assessment — can be transmitted to the specialist.
“It saves a lot of travel time and expense for both the patient and the specialist,” Laws said. “For instance, if a doctor has to drive an hour to a remote area to see one patient, spends and hour with that patient and the necessary paperwork, and then has to spend an hour on the return trip, that is three hours for only one patient,” she said.
The same time and travel applies to a patient, who may not be feeling well enough to make a long journey, or have someone available to provide transportation for the journey.
Telemedicine also eliminates distance for health care providers needing training, continuing education, and collaborative meetings.
Laws, who has recently had to take time off from work to tend to her young son after he broke his arm, said she has still been in contact with her office through a telemedicine link to her home.
The Wabash Valley Rural Telehealth Network was founded by the Lugar Center in 2010 to provide a short-term sustainability plan for a small group of health care organizations in west central Indiana using live video-interactive telemedicine services. Later that year, the center received a $640,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration to formalize and subsidize the WVRTN for three more years.
Since then, the Lugar Center has coordinated multiple independent entities to expand access to telemedicine technologies.
Laws said the support of the Union Hospital administration has been critical in the success of the telemarketing program.
“It speaks very highly of Union Hospital administration to support the Lugar Center for Rural Health, by allowing us to think creatively to access the rural communities and provide needed services,” she said. “There is an altruistic approach to it.”
For more information about the WVRTN’s projects and how telemedicine works, go to the website at www.ruraltelenet.org.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Bringing medicine closer: Stephanie Laws' guidance in developing the Wabash Valley Rural Telehealth Network has earned her statewide recognition as a 2012 recipient of an Indiana Premier Health Achievement Award presented by the Indiana Public Health Foundation.
Discussion
Parke native plays key role in rural health advances
Telehealth platform being instituted around Midwest, nation
- Local & Bistate
-
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: April 29-May 3
The Vigo County Health Department inspected the following food establishments April 29-May 3:
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation today.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 17, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday, based on jail records.
-
I-70 resurfacing project will close westbound exit ramp
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces the resurfacing project on Interstate 70 will close the westbound exit ramp at Indiana 243 beginning Wednesday May, 22 at about 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. that same day to mill and resurface the ramp.
-
UPDATE: Fire damages buildings in downtown Greencastle
GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Fire badly damaged several buildings today near the courthouse square in Greencastle, with flames shooting through the roofs as firefighters from several communities were called in to the central Indiana city to help.
-
Get outside this Memorial Day weekend
Although DNR campgrounds and cabins at state parks, state reservoirs and recreation areas are booked to capacity for Memorial Day weekend, some shelters remain available for picnics and other day-use gatherings.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Raw: Okla. Tornado Aftermath 'Like War Zone'
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
Grizzly bear gets up close and personal with camera
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
Singer forgets lyrics, makes up words to National Anthem
