The “Project Moonshot” rural health care idea received a couple of airings during the past week, one each in Rockdale and Cameron.
The project, first reported on in the Nov. 7 Reporter involves a grant-funded prototype program administered through the Texas A&M Health Science Center to provide a new kind of health care to rural areas which have lost their health care providers.
Rockdale’s hospital closed in December, 2018.
Dr. Joy Alonzo of from the Health Science Center briefed community leaders and the general public last Wednesday at the Noon Lions meeting in the Rock-dale VFD Fire Station and again Friday at The Yards of Cameron.
STATIONS—The basic idea is for health services to be dispensed from a high-tech station which would provide services after hours when local clinics are open.
The stations would include telemedicine and are envisioned to work with area first responders in helping to assist in stabilizing patients.
They would also have the technology to diagnose and then dispense medicine, providing an alternative to calling an ambulance for area residents.
MOONSHOT—Dr. Alonzo said the endeavor is titled “Moonshot” to highlight possible as-yet-unknown benefits which might be discovered and developed along the way, much like projects and technologies which “spun off” from the moon landing Apollo project in the 1960s.
The enabling grant will pay only to develop the initiative and will expire after two years.
If the idea comes to Rock-dale on a long-term basis a revenue stream would have to be found.
Rockdale Mayor John King praised the endeavor saying its possibilities should be investigated. “It won’t cost us anything to find out,” he said.
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