Thus, one of the stated goals for the project was to develop a network where the rural partners could continue to operate their equipment without financial assistance from the University of Washington after the grant ceased to exist. This is the reason the program purchased equipment that was lower-end in bandwidth and a bit more affordable. However, these efforts will be for naught if there is no rate relief provided to its most financially and geographically vulnerable network partners. Arizona Telemedicine Project One of the areas in the state with the greatest need for telemedicine is the northeast corner, which falls within the Navajo and Hopi reservations. This is a region of more than 25,000 square miles with a low population density and very limited services.
Distances are great and access to specialty health care services is a problem.
The Arizona Telemedicine Program currently serves two sites in this region and there is a great deal of interest from other sites. For this region, they have no choice but to use an IXC, and in fact only a single IXC responded to an RFP for these services. That IXC has to work with four different LEC's to provide dedicated T1 circuits. This cost presents a significant barrier to the sustainability of the Arizona program. This exclusion also means that these sites of high need are at the top of the list for downsizing should they encounter a reduction in funding.