Virginia Telehealth Network

New Research Shows the Reality – and the Promise – of Telemedicine

Telemedicine doctor wear headset talking to patient by online video call.

This past summer, the Virginia Community Healthcare Association (VACHA), the nonprofit organization that represents the interests of Virginia’s 30 community health centers (and look-alike centers), released research it had commissioned related to the use of telemedicine, especially how COVID-19 had affected its use. To the extent possible (since a great deal of data is not […]

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Telehealth Growing Pains: Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance Strives to Maintain Its Pandemic-Fueled Momentum

image of a young girl sitting on a couch and reading

When the Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance (BRTA) was created about seventeen years ago, there was a pioneering spirit among the member healthcare providers serving Virginia’s Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. At the time, the promise of telemedicine helping expand access to care and reducing health disparities was still more aspirational than practical. After all, there […]

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Expanding access to broadband in the Commonwealth

image of hands using a touchscreen

While telehealth is an instrumental tool in expanding access to health care for underserved localities, demographics and others in need, it’s nearly impossible to conduct without access to broadband – for both providers and patients. And in today’s day and age, it is an essential need for quality living. That’s why the state of Virginia […]

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In the News: Equity & Telehealth Updates

image of doctor typing

Image sourced from healthaffairs.org Curating the latest updates, news and announcements related to telehealth in the U.S. The landscape of telehealth is changing every day. The adoption of telehealth soared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has become an integral platform for healthcare. Laws have been updated to accommodate the changing landscape of telehealth. […]

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The Tele-Charge of Health Brigade

Health Brigade

How Virginia’s oldest free clinic transitioned to telehealth Richmond’s Health Brigade has a long history of meeting patients where they are. Created more than a half century ago in Richmond’s “Fan” district – a largely residential neighborhood that gave the community health clinic its first name – the former Fan Free Clinic became the first […]

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Creating access to online learning via occupational teletherapy

woman helping child on computer

Transitioning to virtual learning was tough on students, especially for students who had difficulty performing in the classroom. Students with limitations that impact their senses, coordination, executive functioning, communication and/or behavior can find remote learning even more of a challenge. It’s why Chesterfield County Public Schools, which provides Occupational Therapy services for its students, introduced […]

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OTs Help Chesterfield Students Transition to Teletherapy and Online Learning

image of a child looking at a computer monitor

Michelle Allen is an occupational therapist for Chesterfield County Public Schools and serves students privately through Treehouse Pediatric Therapy. In the school system, occupational therapists help students access their social and academic environments, which completely changed during the pandemic. “In an in-person classroom, we might be looking at positioning for seating or how students use […]

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Free Clinic’s Transition to Telehealth Is Helping Grow its Practice

Lackey Clinics collage

For more than a quarter century, the Lackey Clinic has been providing free medical care to those in need in the Yorktown community. Founded in 1995 when local physician Jim Shaw and his wife Cooka began seeing patients from a Sunday school classroom at a local church, the clinic has grown significantly over the years, […]

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Data on Telehealth Use During Pandemic Includes Some Head-Scratching Findings

Data on Telehealth Use during Pandemic Includes Some Head-Scratching Findings

Dr. Sadiq Patel’s recent webinar on Telehealth Equity – part of the Virginia Telehealth Network’s series on Equity & Telehealth – provided a great deal of insights into the statistics surrounding the use of telehealth in the country. A NIMH postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Patel shared some telling – and sometimes […]

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Equity in Telehealth: Addressing Areas in Need

image of a family looking at a laptop together

Improving telehealth means ensuring there is equity at every level. Tools, technology and processes must be accessible and customized to meet the needs of all patients. The technology providers use also should offer enhanced options and have translation capabilities for those with a language barrier. Another way physicians can improve telehealth is by digitizing paper […]

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