PIKEVILLE, KY – On Thursday, September 24th Pikeville Medical Center staff conducted a hands-on training for school nurses and other designated staff of the Pike County School System on the PMC Healthy at School Telehealth Program.

With the telehealth platform in Pike County schools, students who are attending in-person classes and become sick will have the opportunity to be seen virtually by a PMC medical provider without having to leave school. In most cases, parents or guardians will be able to pick their sick child up from school, pick up any necessary prescription medication from a pharmacy and go directly home.

“This is going to be wonderful for the Pike County School System,” explained Pike County Schools Superintendent Reed Adkins. “Many of our students live as much as an hour away from a medical provider and taking their child to see a doctor isn’t always possible for parents when you consider work, travel and financial hardships. In this partnership with PMC, they will be able to see a medical provider without having to leave school.”

With this system, a PMC medical provider will communicate with the school nurse or designee as they see the student through a high-definition video teleconferencing system provided by PMC. With the aid of this technology, the provider will have the ability to look into the student’s eyes, nose, ears and/or throat as well as listen to the student’s breathing and heartbeat if necessary.

In-person classes begin in the Pike County School System on Monday, September 28th, and Superintendent Adkins says the majority of students have chosen that option. The PMC Healthy at School Telehealth Program will be available at all elementary, middle and high schools in the school system, and will be offered to faculty and staff as well as students.

“Pikeville Medical Center is excited to be able to offer this service to our local schools,” said PMC Vice President of the Board of Directors and CEO Donovan Blackburn. “I want to take this opportunity to once again thank USDA Rural Development for getting this ball rolling. In January, they awarded PMC a $357,000 grant to develop this program and equip local schools for telehealth. Since then, the program has grown, and we anticipate even more growth in the near future.”

The PMC Healthy at School Telehealth Program will also be offered in the Pikeville Independent School System.