McLeod Health recently expanded its School-Based Telehealth Program (SBTP) to Florence County School District Two – Hannah-Pamplico Elementary/Middle School and Hannah-Pamplico High School.

The School-Based Telehealth Program offers an option for non-emergency medical care at these schools through McLeod TeleHealth visits with a McLeod Provider. McLeod has provided the schools with telehealth equipment including a computer, monitor, camera and other devices such as a remote stethoscope and otoscope.

“Florence County School District Two is excited about the Telehealth program being available to students in our school district,” said Superintendent Dr. Neal Vincent. “We look forward to the convenience the program will offer our families for minor illnesses while keeping our students in the classroom as much as possible. This will help us continue to meet our motto of ‘healthy children learn better.’”

In August of 2019, McLeod Health announced a partnership with Florence 1 Schools and The King’s Academy (TKA) to offer the School-Based Telehealth Program, which continues for the 2020-2021 school year.

Dr. Richard O’Malley, Florence 1 Schools Superintendent, explained that the School-Based Telehealth program has been very beneficial for the district’s families. “At any point during the school day, our students can visit their school nurse and connect remotely to quality healthcare with a local provider,” O’Malley said. “It is amazing what we can do within our school health rooms using the state-of-the-art equipment provided by McLeod. The telehealth visits have saved our parents time and, more importantly, our students have not lost instructional time. We appreciate the opportunity to work with McLeod to provide our students with quick access to quality care.”

SBTP is offered at four locations within Florence 1 Schools –North Vista Elementary School, Wallace Gregg Elementary School, Williams Middle School and South Florence High School.

“The School-Based Telehealth Program provides a great opportunity to partner with our TKA families and keep our students healthy,” said Cathy Parnell, the School Nurse for The King’s Academy. “It is exciting to be part of a program that utilizes current technology to provide early intervention for treatment of minor illnesses. This partnership gives students access to an entire team of skilled healthcare professionals all working towards a common goal of reducing school absences and returning them to optimal health as soon as possible.”

“The School-Based Telehealth Program offers many benefits for our children and community,” said Lisa Wallace, a McLeod Nurse Practitioner who works with the program. “In addition to providing a rapid diagnosis and treatment, our goal is to also increase access to better health care for every student. This will reduce absenteeism, risk of infection, and the use of the Emergency Department for non-emergent medical situations. However, this service is not designed to replace a student’s primary health care that is provided by their pediatrician or family physician.”

The other McLeod Providers who work with the School-Based Telehealth Program include Dr. Focell Jackson-Dozier, Allison Slice, FNP, and Brandi Powell Russ, NP.

Matt Reich, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for McLeod Health, added, “By partnering with Florence County School District Two, Florence 1 Schools and The King’s Academy, we are leveraging today’s powerful technology to bring the care to the student. This patient-centric approach not only provides a convenient way to receive care, but most importantly, it ensures that students receive the health care they need. With McLeod TeleHealth, students stay healthier and maximize their time in the classroom.”

How the School-Based Telehealth Program Works:

• When the school nurse believes a student should have a telehealth visit, she will send Wallace information on the student’s condition and their age, weight and vitals.
• A McLeod TeleHealth appointment will be scheduled and the parent will receive an email link to connect to the visit.
• Wallace will talk with the student about how they are feeling and get input from the parent on the child’s medical history.
• The school nurse will then facilitate the exam using the peripheral aids so that Wallace can listen to the heart and lungs, check the ears, nose and throat, evaluate a rash or ask the nurse to swab for flu.
• Before the visit ends, Wallace will ask the parent if they have any questions or concerns and if a prescription is necessary she will send it to the family’s regular pharmacy.