WVU Medicine Children's, a Morgantown, W.Va.-based hospital affiliated with Morgantown-based West Virginia University, opened a specialty telehealth clinic in Martinsburg, W.Va. — a three-hour drive from the hospital.
The telehealth clinic, which is based in the family medicine practice Tuscarora Primary Care, saw its first patient May 14. Through the program, patients and families in Martinsburg can connect with a WVU Medicine Children's physician in Morgantown via video conference and work with on-site nurse practitioners to develop a care plan for the child.
The telehealth program comprises physicians in 10 pediatric specialties: cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.
"Families in the Eastern Panhandle should have convenient access to high quality care when they need it," J. Philip Saul, MD, executive vice president of WVU Medicine Children's, said in a June 21 statement. "Families should not have to travel out of town, or even out of state, to find specialty care for their children, which is why we are thrilled to bring this service to Martinsburg."