Winona may become the proving ground for a developing technology that allows seniors and the disabled to connect with health care providers from the comfort of home.

Twin Cities-based A-Vu Media wants $9.4 million in federal stimulus funds to develop the system, which the firm's CEO calls the first of its kind.

A-Vu says it can create technology for seniors to send e-mail, check medical records or make video phone calls using broadband Internet - all with a 12-button remote for their digital TV. Three Winona entities want to partner with A-Vu to test the system: Hiawatha Broadband Communications, Winona Health and Home and Community Options.

The A-Vu system is far from ready for seniors' living rooms. For now it's only a concept, and its developers say it could infringe on users' privacy if used improperly. But A-Vu partners say the system - if proven - could transform how health and care providers stay connected to patients and clients, allowing them to communicate better at lower cost.

Winona Health spokeswoman Christina Friederichs says A-Vu could help America care for a ballooning elderly population, since the technology would allow patients to see and interact with their providers from the comfort of their living rooms.

"It has the potential to absolutely change the way we deliver health care in our community," said Friederichs, who's overseeing development of A-Vu for Winona Health.

In addition to stimulus funds, A-Vu partners would invest $3.4 million into the project, A-Vu CEO John Goodman said Wednesday. The project would develop software and pair it with existing hardware to turn digital televisions into senior-friendly portals to the Internet, phone calls and medical services, Goodman said.

A-Vu would be tested at Home and Community Options and Winona Health, and at 500 Winona residences - some private, some in long-term care or assisted-living facilities. The stimulus grant would pay to retrofit those homes and facilities to test the system.

A-Vu promises benefits for care providers, by letting them remotely activate in-home audio and video units to check on elderly or disabled clients without the time or expense of doing so in person. That prospect has evoked concern with creating a "Big Brother" presence for users, Friedrichs acknowledged.

A-Vu "could violate peoples' rights" if employed without users' consent, said Dennis Theede, director of Home and Community Options.

"We have to be good stewards about this," Theede said.

Winona Health and Home and Community Options have partnered before to implement technology to boost efficiency. In 2000, they partnered with Cerner, a Kansas City, Mo.-based software company, to implement electronic medical records, which now are being implemented as a cost-cutting measure nationwide.

A-Vu is one of thousands of firms applying for a grant from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. The program draws from a $7.2 billion stimulus allotment aimed at expanding broadband and technology access across the country.

A-Vu partners may hear as early as next month whether it will get the stimulus grant, Goodman said. If A-Vu doesn't get stimulus dollars, Friederichs say the group will seek other ways to fund development of a concept she says could be "incredibly revolutionary."

"Its possibilities are kind of endless," Friederichs said.