Residents of rural communities often must travel to get the healthcare services they need, which means taking time off work, making sure they have transportation and finding childcare. Many of these individuals end up skipping important appointments because of these hardships.

TMC Health and members of the Southern Arizona Health Alliance are addressing this issue by pooling resources to provide healthcare options closer to home in rural areas.

“SAHA has been a great partner in the rural market for providing care close to home,” said Gary Kartchner, Chief Executive Officer of Benson and Northern Cochise Community Hospitals. “The partnership allows us to do more of that than we could on our own.”

Previously, rural hospitals used a third-party vendor to provide mobile MRI testing for patients, but it was unreliable and costly. Now, through SAHA partnerships, Benson Hospital, Copper Queen Hospital and Northern Cochise Community Hospital own one to split between properties on a rotating schedule that is managed by SAHA.

“We didn’t have enough volume to have our own, but this partnership allows us to have one that alternates between facilities,” said Robert Seamon, Chief Executive Officer of Copper Queen Hospital. “The more we can work together, the better we can care for our patients and the communities we serve.”

Through collaboration and innovation, SAHA has significantly expanded healthcare in rural communities through telemedicine.

One of its efforts is the Southern Arizona Rural Telehealth Network, a USDA-funded project that established telehealth stations across Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties. These stations connect rural clinics and hospitals with specialty providers in Tucson, enabling virtual consultations in areas such as pediatric endocrinology.

SAHA also played a vital role in establishing Benson Hospital’s Remote Cardiac Rehabilitation program, a medically supervised program designed to improve cardiovascular health with exercise counseling and training and education for heart-healthy living.

The rehabilitation room at Benson Hospital is equipped with a treadmill, an exercise bike, hand weights, a video screen, a camera and monitoring equipment. A Benson Hospital nurse stays in the room during each session to monitor vitals such as blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar, and a TMC exercise physiologist is there on the screen to give feedback and tips. The patient and physiologist can see and talk to each other during the session.

Without having the remote option, patients from Benson and Cochise County would need to drive into Tucson and back multiple times a week.

“Without this program, so many rural patients would not have access,” Kartchner said. “Many are unable to drive to Tucson two times a week.”

One former patient was so excited to find out there was a cardiac rehab program in Benson.

“If I had to travel, it would be at least three hours of my day for each one-hour appointment,” she said. “I am so grateful that I have been able to participate in this program in my remote location.”