Northeast High School nurse Brandi Gunn has signed on to the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Telehealth system a lot over the past week as respiratory, cold and flu-like illnesses make their annual sweep through area schools.

The first year for the Lauderdale County School District to participate in the remote healthcare program, Gunn said Telehealth is proving to be convenient for students and parents, who do not have to leave work to sit at a medical office or clinic all afternoon waiting to see a doctor.

Instead, sick students are seen by a Mississippi-licensed medical provider remotely through UMMC while in her office during school hours. The visit is free for the student.

“I have used it a lot since the district enrolled in the program at the beginning of the school year,” Gunn said. “But since we have been back from Thanksgiving this week, I have used it almost daily.”

Besides the current run of cold and flu-like symptoms among students, she has used Telehealth to treat students who have come to her nurse’s office for pink eye, rashes, sore throats and a burn from an exhaust pipe, among other cases.

“I can only test for strep and flu on campus and if it is positive strep and they need an antibiotic or it is positive for the flu, then the parent will be required to come and pick up the student,” Gunn said. “The provider also will go ahead and call in any medication the student may need … so after the parent picks them up, they can go to the pharmacy and pick up their medicine.”

In February 2022, the state Board of Education approved using pandemic relief money to award a $17.6 million grant to UMMC in Jackson to create a school-based telemedicine system in an effort to keep Mississippi’s K-12th grade students healthy and in school.

Initially, Telehealth was implemented in four school districts as they tried to get the remote system up and running. This past summer, it was opened up to all school districts in the state.

As of September, 406 schools from 70 districts across the state, representing nearly 184,000 students, had enrolled in the program, including the Lauderdale County School District, according to the Telehealth website.

“We were recently recognized as one of the top 20 schools in the state in using Telehealth,” Gunn said.

While some parents still want to check out their children when they are sick and take them to their regular healthcare provider, many parents are responding positively to the service, she said.

Locally, it can sometimes be difficult to get last-minute medical appointments during busy times of the year and especially on Fridays when some clinics close early.

“I think it has been convenient for some parents because they don’t have to leave work and come get their kids to take them to the doctor. They can be seen here on campus, and if it is just something minor, like a cold or allergies, they can stay at school,” Gunn said.

How it works is if a student gets sick at school, Gunn will decide if they need to have a Telehealth visit with a medical provider from UMMC. She then notifies the student’s parent, asking for permission. Once the parent gives permission, she will start the Telehealth video call and together she and the medical provider from UMMC will examine the student. The provider will make a diagnosis and recommend treatment, calling in any necessary medication to a local pharmacy.

A link is sent to the parent, so he or she can join in the video call as well, and the parent is also sent a link with a summary of the visit, she said.

Telehealth is primarily used in providing medical care to students for things such as asthma, allergies, colds, flu, sore throat, headaches, fever, skin irritations, head lice, pink eye, rashes and other minor illnesses.

The video visits are available free of charge to the student. Any prescriptions are the responsibility of the student’s family. UMMC may ask for am insurance provider name for its records, but will not file claims, according to the website.

“For some parents, it just gives them peace of mind that their children has been seen by someone even if it is through a video call,” Gunn said.

The Department of Education grant to start Telehealth is being funded through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds, which will expire in September 2024. Gunn said education department officials say they are looking for a grant to try and keep Telehealth going after that deadline.