00HOUSE CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 6(HES)                                                                    
01 Relating to the Alaska Telemedicine Project.                                                                            
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project, founded by the University of Alaska,                                          
04 Anchorage, Providence Health Systems in Alaska, and AT&T Alascom, is a private/public                                   
05 consortium of over 34 telecommunications carriers and health care organizations, including                              
06 Native health corporations, dedicated to using telecommunications and information technology                            
07 to improve the delivery of health care to all Alaskans; and                                                             
08  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project is beginning its fourth year of operations;                                    
09 and                                                                                                                     
10  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has predicated its existence on the idea                                       
11 that "our" health care dollars must be used wisely, and that advances in telecommunications                             
12 and information technology offer the promise of health care system re-engineering that can                              
13 both contain costs of health care and improve the quality of health care for all Alaskans; and                          
14  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has performed planning for narrow                                              

01 bandwidth telemedicine and telehealth applications that has been predicated on current and                              
02 planned end user telecommunications and information technology systems in Alaska; and                                   
03  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has been dedicated to assessing the needs                                      
04 of all health care organizations in the state, demonstrating appropriate telemedicine and                               
05 telehealth technologies and applications scaled to Alaska's current and planned infrastructure,                         
06 and evaluating these demonstration projects for cost and benefit, satisfaction, and use; and                            
07  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has developed an evaluation method,                                            
08 sanctioned by the National Library of Medicine, designed to reveal cost and benefits,                                   
09 satisfaction, and use of telemedicine and telehealth applications and technologies scaled to                            
10 Alaska's current and planned telecommunications and information technology infrastructure;                              
11 and                                                                                                                     
12  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has established a nonprofit Alaska                                             
13 TeleHealth Network for e-mail, digital imagery, and continuing medical and health care                                  
14 information and education throughout the state; and                                                                     
15  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has been recognized by the government                                          
16 of Romania, the National Library of Medicine, and the United States Department of                                       
17 Commerce as a model for telemedicine and telehealth applications and technologies in rural                              
18 America and developing nations; and                                                                                     
19  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project has performed all these accomplishments                                        
20 without new, dedicated funding from the state; and                                                                      
21  WHEREAS the Alaska Telemedicine Project will not preclude other entities within                                        
22 the state from applying for funding for technology, but support them in their efforts to develop                        
23 partnerships to secure funding and expertise in the telemedicine field;                                                 
24  BE IT RESOLVED that the Twentieth Alaska State Legislature recognizes the Alaska                                       
25 Telemedicine Project, its founding organizations, and commends its leadership for advancing                             
26 telemedicine and telehealth in the State of Alaska.