Project ECHO aims to impact one billion people by 2025
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) recently introduced Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a virtual learning and training model that they hope will help over one billion people by the year 2025.
ECHO utilizes video conferencing to improve and grant access to high-quality healthcare services to people all over the world, particularly those in rural or underserved areas. The project, founded at the University of New Mexico, uses an expert team of healthcare providers for each program. During weekly teleconferences, community practitioners present real-life, anonymous patient cases to the team, who discuss and collaborate on the development of an optimal care plan.
In terms of achieving the goal of one billion people reached by 2025, to date Project ECHO has over 100 hubs across 23 countries.
Following New Mexico’s lead, agencies and officials from other states are becoming involved to help people in their own communities. State Departments of Health in Hawaii, Virginia, and Washington are in various stages of development for similar programs. Virginia, in particular, is leading some 20 states in an initiative to help state providers provide medication-assisted treatment to those patients affected by opioid misuse.