FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Project
Providing Broadband Telecommunications to Hospitals in the Florida Panhandle
In November 2007, the Federal Communication Commission awarded $9.6 million to the Big Bend Health to build the health care network in the Florida Panhandle, consisting of a gigabit fiber optical network connecting nine rural hospitals and a broadband wireless network connecting not-for-profit clinics in the rural counties of the Panhandle. This contract will allow the Big Bend Health to connect the nine hospitals to the Tallahassee Private Medical Area Network (pMAN). The total amount of the contract is apportioned over three years, at $3.2 million per year. Unused funds are carried over from previous years, so in 2008-2009 the amount available is $6.4 million. Another $3.2 million is available to cover the period 2009-2012.
Specific objectives of the proposed project address connectivity, health care services and sustainability. The overall plan proposes to:
- Build a dedicated optical fiber broadband network to connect health care facilities between Madison County and Bonifay County with urban hospitals in Tallahassee and in Pensacola.
- Build a broadband wireless network to connect not-for-profit clinics in these counties with an encrypted wireless system that provides high speed broadband communications to these clinics.
- Provide hospitals and clinics the opportunity of joining the Big Bend Health health information exchange.
- Create high speed connectivity to specialists in Florida via a connection to the Florida LambdaRail.
- Develop a funding formula for sustainability of services to eligible providers in rural counties and underserved areas.
RHCPP July 30, 2009 Quarterly Report
.pdf 217KB)
Access to Advanced Broadband Services for Rural Hospitals in the Florida Panhandle(.pdf 1MB)
The FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Project provides 85% of the funding required for the costs of constructing the health care network in the Florida Panhandle. The remaining 15% of construction costs must come from matching contributions.
Big Bend Health is a certified participant in the Community Contribution Tax Credit Program.
For-profit businesses can donate time, dollars, equipment or products for tax credits.
Big Bend Health is also a certified participant in the Enterprise Zone Community Contribution Tax Credit Program.
Any business in Florida can take a tax credit of up to 50% of the value of donations and apply it to the FL Corporate Income Tax, Insurance Premium Tax or the Sales and Use Tax. Please contact Dr. Christopher Sullivan at sullivac@ahca.myflorida.com if you are interested in participating.
In 2009, the Big Bend Health will construct gigabit fiber facilities from Florida LambdaRail interface points, to a constructed Point of Presence (POP) in eight counties, and then run broadband last mile connections to nine rural hospitals and one VA clinic in the project. The nine hospitals and Veteran’s Affairs clinic in year one construction plan include:
- Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, Blountstown, Calhoun County
- George Weems Memorial Hospital, Apalachicola, Franklin County
- Sacred Heart Hospital, Port St Joe, Gulf County
- Doctor’s Memorial Hospital, Bonifay, Holmes County
- Campbellton-Graceville Hospital, Graceville, Jackson County
- Jackson Hospital, Marianna, Jackson County
- Marianna Veterans Clinic, Jackson County
- Madison County Memorial Hospital, Madison, Madison County
- Doctor’s Memorial, Perry, Taylor County
- Northwest Florida Community Hospital Emergency Department, Washington County
The project then proposes to connect the rural hospitals to urban hospitals in Tallahassee and Pensacola. If there is enough funding, fiber may also be run into Gadsden and Jefferson Counties to connect the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Family clinics in Quincy and Monticello. These clinics could also be reached by wireless broadband, but the existence of gigabit fiber in the counties could be instrumental in supporting economic development, which should be weighed carefully against the cost of construction. The hospitals connected include:
- Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Tallahassee, Leon County
- Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola, Escambia County
- Baptist Hospital, Pensacola, Escambia County
The pilot project plans to utilize an existing optical fiber network controlled by the Florida LambdaRail, LLC, as its broadband backbone to connect the facilities to the Big Bend Health. The Florida Lambda Rail runs throughout Florida and parallels Interstate10 and State Route 20 in North Florida, with the capacity for up to 32 separate networks running at ten gigabits per second. The Florida LambdaRail was created to facilitate advanced research, education, and economic development activities in the State of Florida, utilizing next generation network technologies, protocols, and services. |
Florida Lambda Rail Connectivity
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Construction of the fiber network will be bid to a local Florida firm, preferably in the Panhandle region. Optical fiber will be strung along utility pole routes from the Florida LambdaRail amplifier sites along Interstate10 and State Route 20 to a point of presence in the local community close to the hospital. Ideally the point of presence would be located on either city or county property. The project will seek a waiver from utility pole fees for the period of the pilot project as a means of reducing the cost of providing connections. |
Proposed Optical Fiber Network
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