Riverside County Health Services Video Conferencing System

The Riverside County Health Services Agency installed four (4) videoconferencing stations to link the following agency facilities: Riverside County Regional Medical Center, the Agency Administrative Center, the Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, the Banning Family Care Center, and the Indio Family Care Center. The videoconferencing system was used to reduce the number of automobile miles administators and health care managers and providers had to travel between facilities for meetings and consultations. Ten key staff members were trained in the use of the equipment, and a promotional plan was implemented to motivate agency staff to videoconference in lieu of driving to meetings at remote facilities. The project administrator recorded system usage. Logs were used to compile trip reduction savings; an actual mileage reduction of 34,732 miles was achieved during the initial nine-month demonstration period. These reductions will continue to accrue throughout the live of the system. The savings in travel time and travel related costs were documented by the Riverside County Health Services Agency. During the initial nine month demontration, over 1,000 hours of staff time normally spent commuting was saved. This equates to over $22,000 in staff costs. In addition, mileage reimbursement expenses were reduced by approximately $8,465 during the initial demonstration period.