UnitedHealth Group and Cisco Unveils New Initiative to Expand Health Care Access

By Zaina Adamu High premiums and little to no access to health care were some of the key points President Obama addressed on a nationally televised press conference on July 22. This is not just about the 47 million Americans who don't have any health insurance at all, he said. Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage, if they become too sick, lose their job or change their job. UnitedHealth Group and Cisco have devised a way to shape the reform. It is called TeleHealth. TeleHealth is the latest technology that many are saying will revolutionize the future of health care. The initiative, as the name suggests, connects the doctor and patient through a secure communication channel. It provides visual and auditory connectivity provided by a high-definition television, and allows the doctor to help with diagnoses and treatment plans. The hope we all share is to provide quality in health care in order to reduce the cost and further increase access, said Dr. Jim Woodburn, vice president and medical director for Clinical Initiatives at UnitedHealth Care Optum Health. UnitedHealth Group and Cisco will target rural and underserved communities in an attempt to provide health care access to citizens who are either uninsured or lack access. Cynthia Marshall, surgical technologist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, thinks the plan is a smart one, but not for all medical conditions. Heartburn? Yes. Headache? Sure. But there are some health problems that requires a patient physically being in a doctors office, she said. Woodburn is aware of skeptics. It is not to replace all doctor visits, he said. It is to supplement some visits when the patient and doctor are both comfortable. This is an adjunct to the face-to-face visit doctors have and its just another way of improving [health care] access to people. One day before President Obamas conference, UnitedHealth Group and Cisco held a joint press conference on Capitol Hill regarding TeleHealth. Lawmakers and industry officials attended the conference to witness a live demonstration of the new technology, which showcased patient and physician interaction via satellite. of the funds was allotted for the development of a master plan to renovate the athletic field complex at Herring Run. Many youth and adult groups use the fields for football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse and other sports. The concerns have been for field overlap, turf regrowth and flooding. Sewer overflow has been a longstanding challenge for Baltimore, one of the oldest cities in the nation, faced with rebuilding current infrastructures. This makes it even more an imperative for parks like Herring Run which connects nine communities to it. To get from one part of the environment to another, I see as a positive inducement, said Franchot. Through the new funding, the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks intend to implement bicycle trails, path improvements, as well as the recreation of ball fields. These are fun and exciting improvements, said Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks director Wanda

Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) (far right) explains the TeleHealth process to Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group Reed Tuckson, M.D. (center) and patient (far left). Courtesy Photo UnitedHealth Group is a national care with UnitedHealth Group is the first of provider network headquartered in Minmany joint ventures that will make TeleHealth a common technique in post-modneapolis, Minnesota. It offers a wide array ern day health care. of products and services through operating Its going to be a normal way we conbusinesses including UnitedHealthcare and duct health care. Doctors and patients will Prescription Solutions, and serves more be more comfortable with it, said Woodthan 70 million individuals nationwide. Cisco, a worldwide leader in technologiburn. In many circumstances TeleHealth cal networking has modernized the way will be more pleasing to the patient and people communicate. Their partnership more effective for the doctor. Durden. It is good to open up to provide recreational programming. However, will the improvements affect the urban wildlife such as deer and fox that inhabit those spaces? We try to fit into the landscape. We will be planting more trees to enhance the wildlife, said Gennady Schwartz, Chief of Engineering Services at Recreation and Parks. It is a unique space, we try to protect it. During the tour, Franchot stopped and spoke with a group of summer teenage workers with the Maryland Civic Justice Corps, an initiative under Gov. Martin OMalley. One day a week, the corps comes to engage in trash collection. Franchot stopped to speak to them. He asked them what they have learned from their experience dealing with trash. One student said, Stop throwing it. Another said, Make sure people are not littering. Ill probably come back, said 16-year old Maritime Academy student Vernon Jones. This is fun.

Franchot, City Officials Tour Herring Run Park

By Ron Kipling Williams Though herrings no longer roam its namesake, there are large scale plans to renovate one of the major green spaces in the city. Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot and Baltimore City officials toured the park on Tuesday, discussing future plans for the 340-acre public landscape. These are tough economic times, but not too tough to improve the quality of life, said Franchot. Baltimore has 1,100 acres of urban park open green space, ranked second largest in the US. The state and the city will be partnering to maintain its robust presence. In January of this year, the Maryland State Board of Public Works approved $1.2 million in open space funding for Baltimore City. One hundred thousand dollars
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(L-r) Wanda Durden, director of Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks; Peter Franchot, Maryland State Comptroller; Michele SpeaksMarch, director of the Office of Development and Communications for the Baltimore City Department of Recreattion and Parks; and Mary Porter, Office of Capital Development. Courtesy Photo
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The Baltimore Times, July 31 - August 6, 2009 (www.baltimoretimesonline.com)