Project ECHO
Project ECHO® (Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a lifelong learning and guided practice model that revolutionizes medical education and exponentially increases workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities. The heart of the ECHO model™ is its hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing networks, led by expert teams who use multi-point video conferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers. In this way, primary care doctors, nurses, and other clinicians learn to provide excellent specialty care to patients in their own communities.
WVCTSI's Project ECHO program was developed and implemented through funding and support from the WVCTSI, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, WVU School of Medicine, Cabin Creek Health Systems, and The WV Primary Care Association in partnership with Project ECHO®. Primary care providers and primary care teams have an opportunity to expand their knowledge and capabilities in a variety of specialty areas at no cost, delivered right to their clinic using simple video conferencing technology. Since its implementation in 2016, the ECHO program has grown to include Nine different clinical areas including Hepatitis C/HIV, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Chronic Lung Disease, Psychiatry, Campus Mental Health, Child Protective Services, Statewide Antimicrobial Stewardship, HIV Prevention,and Multiple Sclerosis and Neurodegenerative Diseases. WVCTSI Project ECHO trained and mentored over 1,500 individual providers serving rural populations across WV and 20 additional states with significant rural populations. To date over 600 de-identified cases were presented and discussed. These numbers demonstrate the value of the program to rural providers by establishing learning collaboratives between academic medical experts and community clinicians to ensure evidence-based practices are implemented across the state.
Contact:
Jay Mason, MPA - Director of Community Programs/Project ECHO
Phone: 304-293-9786
Email: jdmason@hsc.wvu.edu
Kelly Campbell, MBC - Project ECHO Coordinator
Phone: 304-581-1821
Email: klguthrie@hsc.wvu.edu
Chantry Kisling, MPH, BSN, RN - Project ECHO Coordinator
Phone: 304-293-8427
Email: clmichael@hsc.wvu.edu