Telemedicine is a reality in schools in Daviess and Martin Counties now.
Yesterday a ribbon cutting at Daviess Community Hospital celebrated the opening of new school based tele-health clinics for North Daviess, Barr-Reeve and Loogootee Schools. State of the art technology now allows for the diagnosis and treatment of students who are ill without an onsite school visit or what officials described as a disruptive, time consuming daytime trip to a hospital. The clinics mean parents of students in these rural areas won’’t have to leave work to drive to the school to pick up their child for a routine exam. Special cameras and trained staff will be able to check on students as hospital doctors observe through a computer. Hospitals would then bill the patients’ guardians for anything insurance doesn’t cover. However, treatment won’t be refused to those without insurance.
Permission slips are being sent home for parents to give consent for such treatment. North Daviess is hopeful to have the program at their schools operational next week.
The clinics operations are being funded through grants to the Indiana Rural Health Association from the Health Resources and Services Administrations.
In addition to the clinics openings being celebrated here, another ribbon cutting was held at Putnam County Hospital yesterday for a clinic for Cloverdale Schools.