The FCC has announced 71 awards totaling $40,468,845 in Round 2 funding announcements for its COVID-19 Telehealth program. So far, $123.6 million has been awarded, with some funding committed to every state, territory and to the District of Columbia.
Five of the COVID-19 telehealth awards reached $1 million. Some others came close — including one that fell $91 short. The million awards are to Berkshire Health Systems (Pittsfield, MA); Forsyth Memorial Hospital (Winston-Salem, NC); Regions Hospital (Saint Paul, MN, including Critical Access Hospitals in Wisconsin); UnityPoint Health (Iowa, northern Illinois and south-central Wisconsin) and Wellstar Health System (Atlanta).
The smallest award was to Skagit Regional Health in northwest Washington. It will get $38,515 for videoconferencing software.
The COVID-19 telehealth program awards funding for telecommunications and information services and connected devices necessary to combat the pandemic. Round 2 has a budget of $249.95 million and builds on Round 1, which had a $200 million budget.
The COVID-19 telehealth program was established by the CARES Act.
“Advances in telehealth continue to help bridge the gap in health care for our most vulnerable populations and keep Americans connected with their doctors, nurses, and health care providers in the face of the pandemic,” FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a press release about the COVID-19 telehealth awards. “With today’s announcement, the FCC has approved more than $123 million in applications for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program—nearly half of the amount allotted in the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. We remain committed to helping facilitate even more innovative health care efforts in every corner of our country.”
Late last month, The FCC announced the approval of 72 second round COVID-19 telehealth funding applications totaling $41,113,186. The awards follow a previous round 2 funding announcement of 62 recipients, who were awarded $41.98 million in late August.
