In late March, the Aultman School-Based Telehealth Program hit a milestone: 1,000 telehealth visits serving students and faculty in Carroll and Tuscarawas counties. The program currently services the following school districts: Brown Local, Carrollton Exempted Village, Claymont City, Minerva Local, Orrville City, Rittman Exempted Village, Southeast Local and Tuscarawas Valley.

The program launched in 2020 with Wayne County, adding the Carrollton Exempted Village School District in 2021, and thanks to an Ohio Department of Health grant in 2022, has expanded to include Brown Local, Minerva Local, Claymont City and Tuscarawas Valley schools.

The program facilitates in-school telehealth appointments with an Aultman provider, allowing the patient to be seen without ever leaving the building. Through secure two-way video communication, the school-based telehealth nurse, sick student/faculty member and parent/guardian connect with an Aultman provider. The school-based telehealth nurses utilize the telehealth cart which has an otoscope, stethoscope and a derma scope. Using this equipment, they can assist the provider with their assessment and exam.

The provider then makes their recommendation for treatment, which could include X-rays, lab work, additional testing to be sent to outpatient facilities or prescriptions sent to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. The provider will decide whether the child/faculty member will return to class or go home, depending upon the diagnosis. When a prescription is sent to a pharmacy, the parent/guardian or faculty member can pick up the prescription on their way home. Parents and students are not the only ones embracing the convenient platform. Faculty members also utilize the program, as they can be seen during their planning period and return to class teaching students without missing any class time.

Aultman Orrville Carrollton Health Center attributes the incredible growth of the program to outreach work that begins with back-to school events, teacher in-service days and community outreach, which begins each year in August, and continues throughout the school year. There are also important partnerships with Aultman Orrville Carrollton Health Center, each of the school districts, their faculty, the Ohio Department of Health and the Education Service Center. The ODH and ESC facilitate the school-based telehealth nurses, which are an integral part of the program.

As this school year winds down, they are already looking toward the 2023-24 school year, as the grant has been approved for an additional year. The program will have an on-site presence beginning in August 2023 at the Carrollton Exempted Village School campus, where they are currently building a health center facility.

As the program continues to grow, they are thankful for the partnerships that allow them to provide this important care to students, faculty members and local communities!