The future of health care in the North Country is up and running.

The ribbon was cut Thursday on a fiber optic project that connects medical experts at hospitals in Syracuse and Utica to patients and doctors across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

It's called "telemedicine" and project organizers say it will be a vital resource in our area.

"As new applications come out and electronic medical records help information exchanges...without this fiber we wouldn't be able to fully take advantage of those and now the north country is positioned to take advantage of all of those opportunities," said Denise Young of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization.

The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and Development Authority of the North Country developed the 325-mile fiber optic network.

About 30 North Country clinics on the new network should be practicing telemedicine within the next year and a half.

"People are getting the kind of care that they need. It's less expensive to do it this way and it improves the quality of care," said Congressman Bill Owens (D. - 23rd District).

On Thursday, officials celebrated the launch of the first telemedicine link between the North Country Children's Clinic and Upstate Medical University.