Downstate Illinois health care professionals are staying current with the latest medical treatment information through SIU School of Medicine video conferences.

Medical Grand Rounds are weekly teaching conferences that bring the latest medical treatment information to physicians and health care providers in a number of Illinois communities. Debroah Seale, Executive Director of TeleHealth Networks and Programs at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield explains why the video conferencing educational program was implemented.

SOUND BITE: " . . . as the medical school, we often times are among the first - our physicians are among the first to learn of recent developments and research or in training and so this is one way we can get that information out to other physicians who practice in the community..."

Currently physicians at seven Illinois hospitals participate in the weekly internal medicine educational conferences. These hospitals are in Fairfield, Harrisburg, Havana, Jacksonville, Olney, Marion and Nashville. Four additional hospitals are considering joining the conferences. Seale explains how the program benefits physicians in central and southern Illinois communities.

SOUND BITE: "Well a lot of the physicians in these rural areas as well as other health care providers are isolated and don't really have the opportunity to get away from their day-to-day practice to be able to attend educational sessions that are commonly available at a School of Medicine, so it's really our way of making the things available that we take for granted for our physicians and healthcare providers. . ."

The SIU medical education conferences and telehealth system is also starting to help provide medical care through consult opportunities, alleviating some of the health care shortages in central and southern Illinois.