1997 Grant Awards:
$302,009
Rock Lake, North Dakota
Six public school districts in north central North Dakota comprise the Durum Circle Shared Services which serves a total school population in grades K-12 of approximately 1,300 students and covering an area of 1,530 square miles. RUS grant funds will be used to establish a "Durum Circle Shared Services Global Computer Network" tying together each of the six school districts to the Internet through major hub connections at each of the Durum Circle schools. Durum Circle Shared Services is creating a collaboratory distance learning system with computer hardware and software which will connect teachers and students in each of the school districts to each other and to other educational and training programs and resources located throughout the state, the US and the world through ND School Net.
$330,000
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society faces the mission challenge of operating a range of skilled nursing and long-term care facilities in extremely rural underserved areas through the Western half of North Dakota. The RUS grant funds will be used to allow seven centers to be linked to a regional medical hub serving rural communities. The telemedicine program will involve the use of a digital communications network, advanced PC workstations, clinical applications, and advanced digital instruments to support remote examination, diagnosis, certain testing, consultations, medical supervision, case management, staff education and specialty care.
$300,000
Bismarck, North Dakota
Medcenter One Health Systems is a non-profit corporation health care provider with ten satellite clinics located in rural, health professional shortage areas in North Dakota. Their mission is to improve health care access and informational services while reducing the isolation of health care providers and residents in rural, underserved areas. The predominant use of the telemedicine network will be for specialty medical consultations. The RUS grant funds will be used to purchase video conferencing systems for Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin, Richardton Health Center in Richardton, and McKenzie County Hospital in Watford City.