Avera Boosts Rural Health with $1M Virtual Nursing Expansion
Becker's Hospital Review
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Contributed by: Kate Gamble
Summary
Avera Health is expanding its virtual nursing program to 28 rural locations in South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa, with $1 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This initiative aims to address staffing shortages by leveraging remote nursing staff to perform nonhands-on tasks, allowing bedside nurses to focus more on direct patient care. The program builds on a successful pilot run over the past two years and is significant for healthcare professionals as it demonstrates a strategic investment in telehealth solutions to enhance care delivery in underserved rural areas.