WSPA 7NEWS

Telemedicine center opens in Greenwood, increasing healthcare access for veterans

GREENWOOD COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – There’s a new tool increasing healthcare access for veterans in Greenwood County.

There is now a telemedicine center inside the Greenwood County Veterans’ Center, where veterans can meet with their doctors virtually. It is free to use and open to any veterans in the area.

“It’s nice to be able to give something back to them,” said Jeff Wilson, the CEO for WC Fiber.

On Friday, WC Fiber, the Foundation for Rural Service and the Greenwood County Veterans’ Office unveiled the telemedicine center.

“This center allows veterans to come and have their appointments and visits with their doctors here in Greenwood, instead of having to go to places like Augusta and Columbia,” said Stephen Taylor, the community affairs manager for WC Fiber.

It’s a quiet and safe spot where veterans can meet virtually with healthcare professionals.

“I wanted to make sure we had a room that people could feel extremely comfortable in,” said Wilson.

Wilson believes it’s important for veterans to have easy access to healthcare. He said the center also cuts down on travel, saving time and money. Company leaders also said virtual doctor’s office visits became popular during the pandemic, but now, telehealth is the way of the future.

“The way we look at interacting with our doctors, business, or education is really going through a lot of changes, so this telemedicine center allows people to really visit their doctors remotely,” said Taylor.

Leaders said this location will help a large group of people across the area.

“We have about 6,000 veterans that just live in the Lakelands, the Greenwood, Abbeville community,” said Taylor.

A second telemedicine center location opened Friday in Abbeville County at the main library. To use the telemedicine center, veterans can make an appointment through the VA hospital.