Investing in school-based telehealth services for students in North Carolina

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina recently invested $1,000,000 in Cone Health, a nonprofit network of health care providers serving Guilford, Forsyth, Rockingham, Alamance and Randolph counties.¹ With the rise in mental health concerns for children, the plan aims to improve care for youth through telehealth services facilitated by school systems.

Cone Health’s School-Based Telehealth program differs from traditional telehealth by adding certified medical assistants (CMA). The assistant, called a telepresenter, uses the latest telehealth equipment becoming the eyes and ears of the provider. This allows the provider and parent to peer down the student’s throat, listen to her heart and breathing, or see an inflamed ear drum. The telepresenter is the link physical link between the student, parent, provider, interpreter, teacher and school administration.

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina’s investment will support the program in collaboration with Guilford County Schools and Guilford Education Alliance. More specifically, funding will cover the salaries of telepresenters facilitating behavioral health visits, behavioral health counselors and a project manager. The funding will additionally cover telehealth equipment expenses. The investment will increase behavioral health service access for 14 Guilford County elementary schools by the end of 2024, impacting approximately 7,000 students. Schools will be added each year through the end of 2026, when all 47 elementary schools in high poverty areas will have telehealth services available to more than 22,000 students.

The School-Based Telehealth program has additionally provided new employment opportunities for school community members through active recruitment from the surrounding areas. Project goals through 2026 include:

• Increase the number of students in participating schools with access to a provider by 10% within the participating schools
• Reduce emergency department utilization and increase instruction time by addressing health care needs through the school setting
• Increase PowerSchool scores for mid-year and end of year performance ratings

The potential success of Cone Health’s program is supported by research which shows that school-based health care improves access to primary care for underserved children and youth.² It brings comprehensive primary care services to the place where children and youth are located during the day and addresses critical health problems that make it difficult for students to learn. Studies also show that one of the major advantages of telehealth expressed by pediatric patient populations and their families is the safe, ease of access to mental health services.³

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina’s investment in Cone Health highlights its commitment to improving health and academic outcomes for local children. By providing telehealth services within schools, children can get the care they need with little disruption to their academics. Learn more ways UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina supports children’s well-being by visiting the plan’s webpage.