About the Southern Ohio Health Care Network
Formed in 2006, the Southern Ohio Health Care Network aims to improve access to health care. The SOHCN is a collaboration of Adena Health System in Chillicothe, O'Bleness Health System in Athens, and Holzer Health Systems in Gallipolis to bring improve health care access in Ohio's Appalachian counties and other rural, underserved areas.
  
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The SOHCN Mission
The SOHCN aims to serve our regional communities by:
- Expanding access to world-class health care using broadband medical tools
- Improving health outcomes for both acute and chronic conditions
- Lowering costs for treatment
- Providing professional development for rural health care providers
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The 34-county SOHCN service area covers 17,000 square miles and is home to nearly 2 million Ohioans. This area includes:
- Ohio's 11 poorest counties
- All but four Ohio counties designated "distressed" or "at-risk" by the Appalachian Regional Commission
- 33 counties designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- 10 Medicare Critical Access Hospitals
- 40+ Federally Qualified Health Centers funded by Medicare/Medicaid to offer health care to underserved, underinsured and uninsured populations
- Above-average concentrations of vulnerable populations, including veterans and the aged, disabled, impoverished, unemployed and medically underserved
- Populations at higher risk of diabetes, obesity, asthma, arthritis, atherosclerosis, and cancer brought about by unhealthy lifestyles and limited access to health care.
Rural Health Care Pilot Program
Development of the SOHCN is funded in part by a Rural Health Care Pilot Program grant from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The $18 million grant is funding construction of a fiber-optic network, built by Horizon Telcom of Chillicothe, connecting more than 120 health care facilities — from major hospitals to individual doctor's offices — in 13 counties.
Learn more about the Rural Health Care Pilot Program. |
Percent of Total Population in Poverty (2007)
Phase 1 Service Area
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Connecting Appalachia
The SOHCN is part of Connecting Appalachia, a public-private partnership that is working to bridge the digital divide in rural southern and eastern Ohio. In 2010, Horizon Telcom was awarded $67 million by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The $95 million+ project will build nearly 2,000 miles of fiber-optic broadband network across the 34-county region, including direct connections for nearly 600 hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, industrial parks, and public safety facilities.
Learn more at www.connectingappalachia.org. |
Who is Horizon Telcom?
Founded in Chillicothe in 1895, Horizon Telcom is funding 30 percent of the $94.9 million Connecting Appalachia project, which will close gaps in broadband Internet connectivity in 34 rural Ohio counties. The National Telecommunications Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) will fund 70 percent of the Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP) stimulus grant project.
Experience
Horizon’s 115-year history as a partner in the communities it serves and its reputation for excellent customer service and responsiveness has cemented its role as a regional telecommunications and community anchor. Horizon has grown with the changing needs of today’s business and residential customers since its founding in 1895 as the Home Telephone Company. Horizon currently offers its customers reliable phone, digital cable TV, high-speed Internet, and home and business security and monitoring as well as bundled packages.
Innovation
Horizon was among the first telecommunications companies in the state to offer cable television and Internet service and has built fiber-optic networks since the mid-1980s. Horizon has already installed nearly 1,140 miles of fiber-optic cable in Athens, Highland, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties for the Southern Ohio Health Care Network (SOHCN). This project will expand access to world-class health care using broadband medical tools, improve health outcomes for both acute and chronic conditions, lower costs for treatment, and provide professional development for rural health care providers.
Leadership
Why is Horizon right for the Connecting Appalachia project? Horizon is the only regional Ohio-based telecommunications company ready and able to commit its resources to expand its broadband network from the original 700-square mile service area to the 34 counties throughout southern and eastern Ohio. Horizon’s commitment to superior customer service and its role as a community partner expands with each mile of fiber-optic cable installed.
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