Our team helped the Hope and Propsperity Resource Center become a telehealth access points for its community.

For those who live in rural communities, the decision of whether or not to go to a doctor’s appointment can be complex. Visiting a health care provider may be a full-day event, requiring lost time from work or school and traveling long distances. There are other access-to-care barriers, such as health professional shortages and lack of access to reliable transportation.

MCD Global Health has a long history of improving access to health care through technology. Now, MCD is helping rural communities establish public telehealth access points (TAPs). TAPS are where anchor institutions, such as libraries, community action agencies, and churches, are provided with technology investments, training, and technical assistance to improve access to care for their community members via telehealth.

Bridging the Gap (BTG) is a nonprofit in Maine connecting people with basic needs and community resources. They secured their own funding to purchase telehealth equipment but needed assistance from MCD with deciding what would work best for their needs, equipment ordering and physical setup, and designing workflows and materials to promote their new TAP. With their technology now in place, MCD is assisting BTG connect with area health professionals to increase awareness of their new telehealth equipment.

The Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP) operates the Hope and Prosperity Center in Presque Isle where ACAP coaches work with individuals and families to help them reach their goals.

Now, ACAP also offers telehealth access. Like BTG, ACAP’s community members often do not have their own personal devices to connect to telehealth and rely on public transportation to get to their appointments. With the new TAP at ACAP, these individuals can meet with their providers virtually and spend the rest of their day working toward their life goals.

As the need for TAPs grows, MCD is adjusting to evolving needs. TAPs are often managed by organizations without medical backgrounds, so the support differs from what is provided to health care providers.

“BTG recognized the need for telehealth in their community but lacked familiarity with the associated medical terms and technical processes,” said Reid Plimpton, program manager for the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.

“We also recognized that organizations may have different needs. For instance, telehealth often starts by emailing patients their appointment details. Since many BTG clients did not have email addresses, we focused on helping them with guidance to set up free email accounts.”

In the last year, MCD has helped launch nine new TAPs in Maine. MCD continues to support the TAPs at the BTG and ACAP and is helping launch new TAPs in Aroostook County and on Maine’s unbridged islands.

This story originally appeared in MCD's 2024 Annual Report.