The UC Davis Health System will play a key role in developing a new telemedicine network aimed at modernizing California's rural health care system.

In partnership with a coalition of government agencies, health care providers and others, UC on Nov. 20 received a three-year, $22 million award from the Federal Communications Commission to create the California Telehealth Network. The grant is part of the FCC's Rural Health Care Support Mechanism and will allow the UC Office of the President, the UC Davis Health System and other partners to establish the statewide broadband telemedicine network.

The new network is expected to connect more than 300 rural sites with each other and with specialists at academic medical centers and other providers statewide.

The federal funding builds upon a number of recent telemedicine initiatives in California and at UC Davis.

In 2000, UC Davis established the Center for Health and Technology — www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cht — to consolidate its telehealth projects, which include telemedicine, distance education and applied medical informatics. The UC Davis Health System provides video interpreting for rural residents who cannot communicate with their local health care personnel because of language barriers. It also has pediatric telecardiology and teleradiology programs in place.

More information: ucdavis.edu/spotlight/ 0407/telemedicine.html. To see a 10-minute video on UC Davis telemedicine efforts, click on "Saving Lives."