ADVANCE for Nurses (Internet / Print) April 2006 http://nursing.advanceweb.com/common/EditorialSearch/AViewer.aspx?AN=NW_06apr10_n8p16.html&AD=04-10-2006 The Regional Maternal and Child Health Program at UTMB in Galveston, TX, delivers competent, culturally sensitive care to low-income women and their infants across a large geographic area. Modern telemedicine technology provides the practitioners with access to a Web-based electronic medical record, as well as video equipment that allows real-time interaction with patients in distant sites. With a start-up cost of more than $3 million, the telemedicine project initially faced numerous challenges. Undaunted, program administrators teamed with the Office of University Advancement to approach several Texas foundations and explain the need for care coordination. "We went to private funding, obtaining grants from people who fund healthcare initiatives," said Carolyn Nelson-Becker, EdD, MSN, RN, CNM, administrative director of the program. "None of the money was from state or federal funds used for healthcare. It was getting grants from private foundations for the significant start-up costs of this venture."