Three States Receive Grants for Telemedicine Program to Combat Overdoses

Rural health officials in Oklahoma, Colorado and Pennsylvania will receive $9 million to test a telemedicine program to train doctors in complex health issues such as opioid addiction.

Primary care doctors in rural areas will watch videos made by urban specialty physicians, The Hill reports. The telemedicine approach has been used to help primary care doctors treat hepatitis C.

Pennsylvania health officials say they will use the funding to double the number of primary care physicians who prescribe addiction medication in 23 rural counties near Pittsburgh.