In 2003, a New Mexican woman died of untreated hepatitis C, after an eight year struggle with the disease. Despite the fact that hepatitis C is treatable, the woman could not make the eight-hour drive from her rural home to Albuquerque for specialized care, and died of her condition.
In an effort to prevent tragedies like that one from occurring again, Project ECHO was born. For the last 23 years, Project ECHO has connected health care experts to communities in need of care, Project ECHO Director of Communications, Deborah Trevino said.
“(The woman’s) story, and many others like it, are what led to ECHO,” Trevino said. “Instead of patients waiting months and traveling long distances to see specialists, and there aren’t many of them — there is definitely a specialist shortage, not just in New Mexico, but around the country — we need to better support the local healthcare workers in their communities who already know and trust their patients and are trusted by their patients. We need to get them the knowledge that they need.”…