Andrea Robinson loves to fish. He and his wife, Sharome, have a favorite spot in Hampton County's Lake Warren. Andrea says a peaceful afternoon on the dock is one of his favorite things about living in a small town.
But life in a small town comes with unique challenges. When Andrea was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and kidney disease in 2017, he says getting the care he needed was not easy. He had to drive more than 45 minutes to appointments for his kidney specialist and his cardiologist.
His primary care office, Harrison Peeples Health Care Center in Varnville, is down the street from his house. They started using telehealth to make cardiology appointments more convenient for patients like Andrea.
"It's better for me because I don't have to do the traveling," Andrea said. "I feel comfortable with it."
Across South Carolina, providers have found ways to use telehealth to treat elderly heart failure patients. In Spartanburg and Chapin, elderly patients use remote patient monitoring equipment to send vital signs to their doctors on a daily basis.