Congressman Crow Delivers Over $400K to Expand Access to Telehealth for Rural Coloradans
Crow-secured funding will expand CU Anschutz Rural eConsults
AURORA — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06) joined University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC) leaders to present over $400,000 for the Rural eConsult Expansion. The innovative eConsult platform gives health providers the ability to conduct online consultations with specialists and helps patients receive timely, effective treatment in rural Colorado. Crow requested and secured this funding through the FY24 appropriations process.
CU Anschutz will use the Crow-secured $402,785 to expand eConsults to additional federally qualified health centers, including Salud Family Health Centers with multiple locations serving Colorado’s 6th District. The web-based application enables doctors, nurses, and patients to share and receive medical information outside of real-time meetings – reducing or entirely eliminating the need to travel to in-person appointments or receive referrals from another physician. With more than 20,000 consultations facilitated since launching in 2021, eConsults are a critical tool for AMC’s Peer Mentored Care Collaborative (PMCC) program to identify health trends, share resources, and increase access to high-quality, lower-cost health care for Colorado families in rural communities.
“All Coloradans should have access to quality health care. That’s why I secured funding to expand telehealth services for rural Coloradans,” said Congressman Crow. “I’m grateful to work with our dedicated providers at CU Anschutz to expand the eConsults telehealth program, reduce wait times, and make high-quality health care more accessible.”
“The eConsult platform is a critical tool in connecting our world-class providers in Aurora to rural Colorado,” said John Reilly, Jr. MD, the Dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs. “We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Crow for championing this project, which will increase health outcomes and care delivery for all Coloradans.”
Rep. Crow with Dean of the CU School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Dr. John Reilly, Grant Program Lead Dr. Fred Thomas, and CU Anschutz medical providers and eConsult telehealth administrators.
Photo courtesy of the Office of Congressman Jason Crow
In 2022, Congressman Crow also secured federal funding for 15 projects. In 2023, Crow delivered those funds to the district, including over $1.2M to strengthen the youth-focused mental health workforce and expand access to behavioral health for young Coloradans in crisis, more than $2M for critical social services, and funding to support hunger relief efforts and provide stable housing and career support for unhoused Coloradans.
A full breakdown of all FY24 CO-06 Community Project Funding requests can be found here.