School-based telehealth services are becoming increasingly widespread — a movement fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Education officials and researchers say these services not only increase students’ access to healthcare, but also play a role in improving attendance.
In the final installment of a three-part series exploring chronic absenteeism in the region, WFDD’s Amy Diaz visits a Guilford County school where officials say telehealth is making a difference.
Immediate care
Inside a small office at Vandalia Elementary School, Certified Medical Assistant Karen Pickett sits with a second-grade student in front of a tablet.
They’re on a video call with a doctor at Cone Health.
"I see you've got some allergies. Have you been taking your allergy medicine?" the doctor asks through the screen.
After a few more questions, the doctor instructs Pickett to use a stethoscope to listen to the student’s lungs.
“Big, deep breath in and out," Pickett tells the student.
The doctor says her breathing sounds alright, and within minutes, the student is cleared to take some allergy medicine and go back to class.
Vandalia began offering telehealth services in 2024. Before that, Pickett says teachers relied solely on a nurse they shared with multiple schools, who was only available a couple of days a week.
The rest of the time, the school would have to call home and have students picked up — even those experiencing minor issues, like seasonal allergies.
“Sometimes all they need is some cough syrup, Zyrtec, whatever the case may be," Pickett sayssaid. "And it's not so convenient for parents to come leave work or whatever that might be going on, when we have it right here.”
Vandalia Principal LaToy Kennedy says it’s also not good for the student when that happens.
“When you pick them up early, they miss instruction. If they miss instruction, then they have to play catch-up," Kennedy says. "If you miss an hour a day of school, that's five hours a week, 20 hours a month of instruction. There's a lot you would have missed.”
She says telehealth has helped reduce those kinds of absences and early dismissals for students. And the service isn’t only available at Vandalia.
Through a partnership with Cone Health and the Guilford Education Alliance that began in 2021, the district has launched telehealth at more than 25 elementary schools.
Parents just need to consent that their child can use the service, and then students have access to a certified medical assistant and a virtual doctor whenever they need. Parents can even join the visit online if they’d like.
Kennedy says this is a big help for families at her school.
“A lot of people don't have insurance, they can't afford insurance, and then, you know, a wait time trying to get somebody to see you," Kennedy says. "And so if you can immediately get care, this is very beneficial for our students.”
Impacts on absenteeism
School-based telehealth services have become more popular since the start of the pandemic, but they’re not new.
The Center for Rural Health Innovation started a program called Health-e-Schools more than 15 years ago, which provides telehealth in parts of western North Carolina.
Sarah Komisarow, a social scientist with Duke University, researched the impacts of the program in a study published last year. One major finding was that on average, the chances of a student being chronically absent went down when schools offered telehealth services.
“Relative to how likely students were to be chronically absent without access to telemedicine, it's reducing that likelihood by 29%," she says.
While it’s not the only solution to chronic absenteeism, she says telehealth is a strategy more schools and districts should consider — especially in areas where healthcare access is limited.
“I think what this demonstrates is that this can't be discounted or underestimated," she says.
In Guilford County Schools, the data is promising, too, according to Chief Exceptional Children and Student Services Officer Kimberly Steinke.
“We've seen a reduction in chronic absenteeism among the students who have consented for services," Steinke says. "Better test grades as far as end-of-grade math and reading scores. We've seen a reduction in discipline referrals.”
All of those data points, she says, are connected and for obvious reasons.
“We know that when they're feeling good, they'll do good," Steinke says. "They'll be more engaged in their learning and instruction. They'll be in attendance more often.”
In the 2023-24 school year, the district reported having more than 1,400 virtual telehealth visits.
There are lots of reasons why students might be chronically absent, and not all of them can be solved by telehealth. But if the service helps kids stay in class and feel better while they’re there, Steinke says:
“It’s just one more win in the bucket for how we’re reducing our chronic absenteeism rates across the district.”