Davis Named 'Rural Health Hero'

Gary Davis, Ph.D., LP Medical School Duluth

Dr. Gary Davis
Named ‘Rural Health Hero’
Plans Underway to Double Number of Clinics Served with Telemedicine

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, Duluth, MN  --  Gary Davis, Ph.D., LP, University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth, today was named ‘Rural Health Hero’ at the Minnesota Rural Health Conference in Duluth.   Each year the Conference honors an outstanding individual or team in the field of rural health.  Dr. Davis received the award for his leadership in serving rural communities with mental health consults via virtual telemedicine. 

Read more about our success with rural telemedicine.

Davis is the head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the Medical School – Duluth and the Associate Director of the Center for Rural Mental Health Studies (CRMHS) at the medical school. He is a licensed psychologist with more than 30 years of experience.

Since the program began in 2002, Dr. Davis and his colleagues have treated approximately 70 patients from rural areas using virtual communication via video conferencing.  Based on the results of grant applications currently in process, the CRMHS plans to expand its service from the present three clinics serving 8 primary care physicians to a total of six clinics serving 48 primary care practitioners in rural Minnesota by the end of 2006.   

"These services would simply not be available to our rural and small communities if it were not for the continuing efforts of Dr. Davis," commented Richard J. Ziegler, Ph.D., Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth.   

“Dr. Davis has been very helpful in allowing our psychiatric patients to remain close to home and be treated in their home community,” commented Dr. Harold D. Johnston, M.D., primary care physician, Scenic Rivers Health Services, Cook.  This is a great convenience to our patients and often assists in preventing delays that would result from having to travel out of the area.” Scenic Rivers is one of the first three health centers served with mental health telemedicine from CRMHS and Dr. Davis.

Standing in for Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Diane Mandernach, to announce Davis as the award winner, Raymond Christensen, M.D., Assistant Dean for Rural Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School said, "Dr. Davis exemplifies how technology can be used, especially in rural areas, to help improve health care. He has been a tireless champion for using telemental health to meet patient needs."

Jane Hovland, Ph.D., R.N., and Nadine Hoven M.Ed., R.N., from the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the Medical School – Duluth also shared their personal insight as to why Dr. Davis was nominated for the award. 

Thanking the group for the award, Dr. Gary Davis remarked:  “To me the real world heroes are the rural doctors I work with who are out there working without the support that cities offer.  This is probably the most gratifying work I’ve done in my career.”  

The Minnesota Rural Health Conference is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, the Minnesota Rural Health Association and the Rural Health Resource Center - Minnesota Center for Rural Health, along with the assistance of other organizations concerned with rural health issues.  

The two-day conference called Smart Health 2006:  Focus on Technology addressed advances in technology, including health information exchange, telemedicine, health professional education, and practitioner support. 200 participants attended the conference at the DECC:  rural health care administrators and staff, rural health professionals, state legislators or their staff, state rural health advisory committee members, state and local public health staff, health plan representatives, policy analysts, educators, community leaders, students and other rural health partners. 

MORE ABOUT DR. DAVIS AND THE CENTER FOR RURAL MENTAL HEALTH STUDIES

CRMHS provides telemental health to 3 communities serving 8 referring medical providers.  Planning is underway to potentially double, by year end, the number of clinics served by the University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth CRMHS with virtual mental health consultations.  The service will expand to a total of 6 clinics, serving 48 providers.  Establishing the clinics in the 3 new communities depends on the final outcome of grant applications now underway by the Center.

• Current clinics served:
• Northland Medical Center, Bigfork, MN
• Scenic Rivers Health Services,  Cook, MN
• Littlefork Medical Center, Littlefork, MN 
• Proposed 3 additional clinics:
•  St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic (SMDC) – Ely, MN
• Allina Medical Clinic -- Mora, MN
• Paynesville Area Medical Clinic – Paynesville, MN 

Dr. Davis, championed the telemental health service.   In 2002 he purchased the interactive video equipment for the Northland Medical Center and began providing telemental health services.  Using a shared care model of service delivery, Dr. Davis provides referring physicians with his recommendations, via telephone, within hours of seeing the patient and written recommendations within 48 hours.  Since the program began, Dr. Davis and his colleagues have treated approximately 70 patients from rural areas using virtual communication. Four other colleagues from the Medical School’s Behavioral Sciences Department support Dr. Davis.   

The purpose of the Center is to create the knowledge that will allow the development of solutions and new treatment strategies for rural communities.  Rather than simply creating an "urban" care system in rural Minnesota, solutions lie in fashioning a system of mental health care that fits the rural setting culturally, financially, and geographically.