Indianapolis-based St. Vincent Health partnered with a local elementary school to provide virtual appointments to students in need of medical attention during school hours, WAVE, an NBC affiliate, reports.
Three notes:
1. Under the telehealth program, Pekin, Ind.-based East Washington Elementary will set up equipment in its nurse's office featuring specialized cameras and equipment designed to allow off-site providers to check for rashes, sore throat and ear infections.
2. With parental approval, students at the elementary school can be seen by a St. Vincent Health provider in 30 minutes to an hour.
"If [the student is] not contagious, they'd be able to go back to the classroom. Parents wouldn't even have to miss work or take off," Amy Green, East Washington Elementary school nurse, told WAVE. "If they are contagious, [the provider] can get their prescription sent in and parents can pick that up at the pharmacy, pick them up, go home and they're ready to relax for the day."
3. The telehealth technology was paid for through a grant with the Indiana Rural Health Association. The funding has covered the costs for telehealth systems in 16 schools statewide.