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The California Telehealth Network (CTN) was launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 17, 2010. CTN will operate on both public and private funding, and is expected to lead California into an exciting new era in health care. Tarzana Treatment Centers is pleased to announce our involvement. We are thrilled at the opportunity to provide our addiction treatment, mental health treatment, and medical care to individuals in California who find it difficult to travel to facilities.

CTN is expected to connect 900 health care facilities by 2011, providing specialized health care services to California residents who normally can’t access them. Rural health care providers will have access to specialists who can either assist them or work with their patients directly. Currently, there are 50 sites that are being set up initially to begin this important project, which will have its control center at the UC Davis Medical Center.

Tarzana Treatment Centers, based in Los Angeles, California, is providing services at 3 of these initial sites. Our specialized services will be a valuable part of CTN, making addiction treatment, HIV/AIDS services, and related mental health disorder treatment available along with the common services we also provide. Many individuals suffer needlessly because they are immobile or live in remote rural areas.

The funding for CTN is $30 million, which includes $21 million from the Federal Communications Commission, $3.6 million from the California Emerging Technology Fund, and the rest from a combination of private and other public funds. AT&T will build a secure, medical-grade telecommunications system that will provide the high bandwidth needed. The goal is to reduce medical costs and improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Telehealth, also known as telemedicine, is online mental health treatment or medical care that can be conducted by video conference or by phone. Online health care has become secure and affordable. The cost-effectiveness makes for a lower cost to set up the program than to continue with the status quo in health care. Its use has proven to reduce readmission rates for patients in medical care, and is expected to do the same for those in behavioral and mental health treatment.

Of course patient security is an obsession for the staff at Tarzana Treatment Centers. So we would not have started working with telemedicine if there was even a hint that patient confidentiality could be compromised. Our internal telehealth system, powered by MDLiveCare, is protected by several layers of encryption. While details have not yet been released by CTN about the security this network will provide, we can assure you that our involvement will result in the high security.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides adult and youth alcohol and drug treatment. We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley. If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 888-777-8565 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.