你好，世界. 满足放大.

这似乎是地球上大多数人的反应, when they took their meetings online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, accomplishing tasks that were once previously completed in person.

The 火狐体育下注 健康科学学院 is no different; CHS has transitioned many of its clinical operations into telehealth formatting to further enforce faculty, 大流行期间工作人员和患者的安全.

然而, the utilization of telehealth had been circulating among those in CHS a full five years prior to the pandemic, resulting in it becoming the first of many to offer a Graduate Certificate in Telehealth for its students’ in summer 2020.

当时, many clinics were not yet incorporating virtual health care options into daily operations; this has since changed drastically over the past year.

“简而言之, we became leaders in telehealth long before the current pandemic, because we saw the value in high-quality telehealth services to reach people who are underserved for various reasons,Janice Kuperstein说, 博士学位, PT, 女士, professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and associate dean for clinical engagement in the 健康科学学院. “Whether it is because of the very real problem of inadequate supply of appropriate providers in the area or because of transportation challenges or other complexities ofa family’s reality, 远程保健服务可作为满足关键需求的一种方式. The Graduate Certificate in Telehealth is a way for us to help prepare interprofessional teams in best practices.”

琼恩·洛曼博士.D., associate professor in communication sciences and disorders in CHS, 多年来一直是远程医疗领域的领导者, long before the exponential growth due to the current pandemic. She recognized the need to expand availability of speech language services to underserved areas, 无论是农村, 城市, or sub城市 because these services are literally vital for individuals’ health, 发展与幸福. 

“She also recognized that providing high-quality services depends on far more than simply the technology, 而是依赖于提供者的知识和技能,库珀斯坦说. 为了这个目的, she received a Department of Education grant in 2015 to prepare speech-language pathologists to deliver services using this platform. 通过这项拨款, the CSD Department has prepared  eight graduates per year who have gone on to competently provide telehealth services in their own practices and communities.”

Lowman and her team recognized the need to prepare other professionals in evidence-based telehealth practices — to create interprofessional teams of providers who could effectively meet the needs of the people of the Commonwealth and beyond. 

“Part of what we were able to do was establish the right ways to teach it,洛曼说. “没有多少人相信它. 现在，似乎每个人都想这么做，因为它太简单了. 嗯，这并不容易. 要正确地做这件事，你必须更加努力地学习. 你必须更加努力工作. 你必须学习更多.”

去年夏天, the launching of the Graduate Certificate in Telehealth happened to coincide with the exponential increase in telehealth delivery, and Lowman was able to help; she shared her expertise with various health professional groups as their members implemented telehealth on an emergency basis.

“在当前的突发公共卫生事件中, 我们都知道远程医疗的好处, 在适当的时候, 满足社会的保健需求,库珀斯坦说. “I am proud that we are in a position to offer best-practice preparation through the Telehealth Certificate, so that our graduates will offer the highest quality care to current and future patients.”

火狐体育下注之声 & 燕子诊所, 哪个提供与声音障碍相关的护理, 共振, 呼吸, 吞咽以及头颈癌, 通过远程医疗在大流行期间保持开放. 尽管它的大部分实践都依赖于亲身实践, 上门保健, this opportunity allowed them to begin utilizing teletherapy to treat patients both near and far while lowering the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

“我们为来自全州的很多病人提供服务, and with teletherapy they no longer need to travel to Lexington for their sessions,劳伦·斯诺斯基说, MS, CF-SLP, 临床研究员. “这对他们来说改变了游戏规则.”

UK Pediatric Therapies at Child Development Center of the Bluegrass (CDCB) is a clinical service within UK CHS that offers pediatric occupational, 物理和语言治疗.

类似于Voice & 燕子诊所, CDCB quickly adapted to provide telehealth services to its patients.

“We serve many children that live in rural areas that are far from our clinic,Angela Folczyk说, OT, CDCB的治疗主任. “So, 当疫情爆发时, we worked diligently to create and adopt an efficient telehealth model that ensured continuity of care for our patients statewide.”

火狐体育下注儿科治疗提供者Nicole Hoskins, OT, says she was able to receive a more in-depth view of her patients’ home lives through the utilization of telehealth, 这进一步帮助她满足了他们的需求. 另外, she says this method of health care has helped to empower her patients’ families and has resulted in them becoming more involved in their child’s therapy.

随着时间的流逝, 保持社交距离的做法仍在继续, both patients and health care providers continue to unravel the many benefits of utilizing telehealth each day.

“通过努力工作和牺牲, our clinics have learned to provide the best care possible during the pandemic,洛曼说. “在未来, we look forward to teaching more and more providers across the Commonwealth, 因此，我们可以继续为所有需要的人提供这种护理.”