title: Rural school-based telehealth: how to make it happen.
abstract: When organizing new health care interventions among a rural population, a careful planning process respecting community-specific considerations should be used. The project objective centered on the successful implementation of a school-based telehealth clinic serving a rural, health-disparate population. Using an American Academy of Pediatrics Community Access to Child Health planning grant, a needs assessment of the Delta community was conducted. In synthesizing the results of this planning project, consensually addressed issues led to establishing a pilot school-based telehealth clinic within the rural county schools. Seven essential steps emerged as a set of guidelines that entities might consider in introducing a telemedicine school-based service in a rural community. The steps included assessing local and regional needs, securing community support and establishing goals, evaluating resources, configuring logistics, training staff, informing parents, and launching the clinic. Proper planning is crucial to the establishment of a rural school-based telehealth clinic.
authors.affiliation: Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education & Learning System, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arizona, USA. BurkeBryanL@uams.edu
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bynum
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hall-Barrow
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albright
mesh_terms: D001131:Arkansas; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*