RHF is working with Regional West Medical Center (RWMC) in spearheading a project to develop a multi-state Telemedicine consortium aimed at providing access to a continuum of high quality health care services to residents of the region. The initial goal of the consortium are to improve access and continuity of care and provide a foundation for patient and provider education. An Advanced Telemedicine/Telecommunications Consortium has been formed that includes health care providers from Scottsbluff, Chadron and Alliance, Nebraska. This group will be expanded to communities about a 100 mile radius of Scottsbluff that use the inpatient and/or outpatient services in Scottsbluff, including Crawford, Gordon, Kimball and Sidney, Nebraska. The vision of the consortium is to emphasize regional empowerment of rural health care providers and communities through the sharing of information and increasing access to the opportunities found on the "information superhighway".