Where doctors
are scarce,
we bridge
the distance.
CRV Health is a nonprofit connecting rural villages in Qidong, China to qualified physicians through telemedicine — so geography is never a barrier to care.
It started with
one question.
I founded CRV Health in April of 2024, after spending time in the rural townships of Qidong and seeing what distance really costs. I watched families weigh a day's wages against a bus ride to the nearest hospital — and I kept asking myself why a person's postal code should decide whether they can see a doctor.
That question wouldn't let go of me. The technology to connect a village clinic to a specialist already existed; what was missing was someone willing to do the unglamorous work of putting it in place — the equipment, the training, the connectivity. So I decided that someone would be me.
I'm driven by a simple belief: care should travel to people, not the other way around. Every station we install and every consultation we make possible is a step toward a place where geography is no longer a reason to go without. Thank you for being part of that work.
"No one should have to choose between their health and a week's income."
The gap between
need and care
is measurable.
In Qidong's rural townships, a single village doctor serves thousands of residents. When that doctor is unavailable — or when a condition exceeds their expertise — patients face a two-to-three hour journey to reach a hospital.
For the elderly, the chronically ill, and families without transportation, that distance is not an inconvenience. It is a crisis. CRV Health installs telemedicine stations in village clinics, putting certified specialists within reach — not 67 kilometers away.
"A grandmother in Weijiazhai can now see a cardiologist without leaving her village."
Qidong has 1.1 million residents across 14 townships. Only roughly 400 active specialists serve the rural population.
A single hospital trip costs ¥300–800 in transport and lost wages — an entire week's income for many farming households.
Ruggedized telemedicine kits with satellite-assisted connectivity bring real-time specialist consultations to the village level.
The numbers that define our work
Every figure below represents a real village, a real patient, a real outcome.
Average distance from a Qidong village to a hospital
Travel time to reach emergency care in monsoon season
Communities served in our first operating year
Consultations facilitated since our founding
How we close
the gap
Three stages, one outcome: a village resident receives specialist-level care without crossing a single kilometer of road.
Equipment Procurement
We source portable diagnostic kits — ECG monitors, pulse oximeters, dermatoscopes — vetted for rural power and connectivity constraints.
Village Installation
Local health workers receive hands-on training. Each station connects to a group of partnered physicians in Nantong and Shanghai.
Ongoing Care
Residents access real-time consultations, prescription renewals, and chronic disease management — without leaving their village.
"She hadn't seen a doctor
in eleven years."
C.G., a woman in her seventies, lives in a rural township where the nearest hospital is a 3-hour round trip by a bus that stops running at 5pm. Managing hypertension and diabetes alone, she tracked her medications by memory.
In September 2024, CRV Health installed a telemedicine station in her village clinic. She now has a monthly video consultation with a cardiologist in Nantong. Her blood pressure has stabilized for the first time in a decade.
Shared with her full consent. Her name has been shortened to initials and some identifying details have been changed to protect her privacy.
Help More PatientsStories like C.G.'s are reported monthly by our field coordinators across our active villages in Qidong District.
Every dollar closes
the distance.
CRV Health is fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation (d.b.a. Hack Club), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 81-2908499). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Help bring telemedicine to rural Qidong
We've partnered with GoFundMe to make giving simple and secure. Every contribution goes directly toward equipment, connectivity, and training for village clinics. Click below to make your donation on GoFundMe.
Donate on GoFundMeSecure giving through GoFundMe. You will receive a receipt by email. Fiscal sponsor: The Hack Foundation (d.b.a. Hack Club), EIN: 81-2908499.