Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation Receives More than $223,000 for “Telehealth Solutions for Rural Kentucky”

MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2022) – The Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation has received $223,879.09 from the American Rescue Plan SHIP (Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program) COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation Program. These funds will go toward scaling “Telehealth Solutions for Rural Kentucky” to 11 counties across the state and offering home health services to 531 patients in these counties. This project will improve access to higher levels of care and follow-up care for patients with COVID-19 or acute and chronic conditions in infectious disease, cardiology, pulmonology, and neurology through the use of advanced technology. 

With this additional funding, the project will now reach community members in Bath, Bourbon, Clark, Menifee, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Rowan, Fleming, Fayette, and Morgan counties.

“We are proud to expand our ‘Telehealth Solutions for Rural Kentucky’ program to different counties in our area,” said Leslie Smart, CFRE, president, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation. “With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, access to telemedicine and home health services are more important than ever, and with this expansion, we will be able to make a true difference in the lives of so many people.”

CHI Saint Joseph Health’s “Telehealth Solutions for Rural Kentucky” was initiated by a $1,022,334 USDA grant received in early 2021. To continue and expand this project, CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations, in partnership with CHI Saint Joseph Health Medical Group and CommonSpirit Health at Home, received four grants totaling $1,074,828 from the USDA to 100% fully scale the project. 

The remaining grant funds were awarded to the Saint Joseph Berea Foundation, Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation and CHI Saint Joseph Health. In total, CHI Saint Joseph Health’s “Telehealth Solutions for Rural Kentucky” will offer telehealth services to residents in 50 Kentucky counties and offer home health services to 3,090 patients in those counties.

About CHI Saint Joseph Health

CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in CHI Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services toward a goal of building a healthier future for all. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph Mount Sterling

Saint Joseph Mount Sterling is a 42-bed community hospital located in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Established in 1918, the facility serves residents of Montgomery, Bath, Menifee, Powell and Rowan counties. An investment of $60 million opened the current facility in 2011.

About Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation

Saint Joseph Hospital Mount Sterling Foundation supports CHI Saint Joseph Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

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