LITTLE ROCK — Charles H. “Chip” Templeton, Director, Small Business Development Center, College of Business at Mississippi State University, and previous Telehealth Education Manager at the Mississippi State University Extension Service, was presented with the Curtis L. Lowery Telehealth Champion Award at the fourth annual South Central Telehealth Forum, which was held recently in Nashville, Tennessee.
Templeton describes himself as a telehealth advocate. He said, “The advocate role is important. I can work with business owners and community leaders to promote the benefit of using telehealth and telemedicine. Being an advocate is also important for the people living in the community – the average person. They need to know about the benefits, too.” Templeton also serves as an Advisory Board member for the South Central Telehealth Resource Center,
The Curtis L. Lowery Telehealth Champion Award is given to an individual who has been essential to the success of a telehealth project or program; initiates and promotes the utilization and sustainability of telehealth services; and shoulders responsibility while sharing the spotlight with the team. The champion has an innovative spirit and visit and spends years developing and programs while inspiring others.
The forum, sponsored by the South Central Telehealth Resource Center (SCTRC), provided telehealth media and education for Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The SCTRC is part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Distance Health.
The resource center functions primarily through a website, LearnTelehealth.org, which works in partnership with the UAMS Center for Distance Health’s Training Center. It focuses on telehealth education and peer interactions online. It also conducts hands-on training in its training center or on site. The project is funded by the federal Health Resource Services Administration Office for the Advancement of Telehealth through the Telehealth Resource Center grant program.
UAMS is Arkansas’s only comprehensive academic health center.
Editor's note: Read more here about Templeton's new role as the director of the Small Business Development Center at Mississippi State.