In rural South Carolina, where access to healthcare can be limited, schools are looking for ways to bring care to their students. At Mary Bramlett Elementary School in Gaffney, the school has partnered with the Medical University of South Carolina to bring specialty care to students through telehealth. Students visit the school nurse’s office and connect digitally to a provider.
“Thanks to telehealth, we have more resources to educate the whole child,” said Johnnette Nesbitt, the school’s principal.
Through the telehealth program, students can be connected to physicians, as well as mental health specialists.
School officials said most students don’t have the means to travel to appointments during the week. The school-based telehealth program addresses those issues.
“Due to a shortage of mental health therapists in our area, this program allows students to receive the services they need without requiring parents to go long distances,” said guidance counselor Michelle Whelchel.