Billings, MT---Vision Net, METNET, the Montana district Courts and members of the Montana Healthcare Telecommunications Alliance, the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network (EMTN) at Deaconess Billings Clinic, Partners in Health Telemedicine Network (PHTN) at St. Vincent Healthcare, REACH Telemedicine Network, and Benefis Healthcare have joined the "Freedom Calls Network" to offer free videoconferencing to Montana families and their military family member(s) deployed over seas.
The high tech project was launched in April 2004 by Freedom Calls Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to improving the lines of communication between American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families at home.
Deaconess Billings Clinic, St. Vincent Healthcare, Vision Net, the Montana District Courts and METNET have videoconferencing equipment in different cities around Montana that makes it possible for people to talk with their family members face-to-face. Traditionally, Deaconess Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare's videoconferencing equipment is used by doctors to examine patients in rural towns across Montana. Vision Net has over 150 commercial and educational videoconference sites throughout Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. The Montana District Courts and METNET conduct state and court business on a daily basis and along with Vision Net, EMTN, and PHTN have consented to the free use of their facilities to all families with military members who have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for Montana families" said Bill Baillie, Director of Sales and Marketing at Vision Net, "We anticipate, with the continued deployment of these facilities, that we will be able to meet a high demand by service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who wish to see and talk to their families back here in Montana."
So far, the Freedom Calls Foundation has deployed two interactive facilities in Iraq, one at Camp Cooke north of Baghdad and the other at Camp Fallujah. The Army has asked that the foundation install 8 more facilities in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan in the coming months. These facilities employ the latest in videoconferencing technology and Internet based IP soft-phone technology and cost $300,000.00 each to build. This is all being done with private donations at no expense to the taxpayer.
"So far only soldiers that can get to Camp Cook or Camp Fullujah will be able to video conference with there families in Montana" said Thelma McClosky-Armstrong, Director of the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network at Deaconess Billings Clinic. "As Operation Freedom call adds new videoconferencing sites in Iraq and Afghanistan we will connect to them as well"
If you, any of your customers or community members have any questions, our state-wide toll free number for all information concerning Freedom Calls is 1-866-354-VNET (8638) or you can visit the Freedom Calls web site at www.freedomcalls.org. The Montana consortium of videoconferencing networks is currently constructing a Web site that you can visit at freedomcalls.vnet-inc.com.