Expanding Telehealth Services at WCCHC School-Based Health Clinics

Telehealth is rapidly emerging as the standard of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth not only offers a safer alternative to in-person services for both patients and providers, but also reduces barrier to access of appropriate medical, behavioral health, and health education services, particularly in low income, 95 areas. Many of the youth in the communities served by WCCHC cannot sufficiently access telehealth services for a variety of reasons. Expanding the ability to offer telehealth services at our school-based clinics will ensure youth have a safe, confidential location to meet with a medical provider, behavioral health provider, and/or health 12 that sufficiently has the technology to execute quality care on school grounds. As it stands, our school-based health clinics lack some of the crucial resources needed to appropriately facilitate telehealth services. This is in large part due to the rapid and unexpected closure of the school-based clinics at the start of the pandemic. If approved for these grant funds, our clinic will be able to rapidly acquire necessary resources to accommodate telehealth services. We are requesting funds for a one-time technology improvement to assist with the acquisition of necessary computer workstations to execute telehealth services for underserved youth at 95 Hawaii school-based health clinics.