Students in the Elizabethton City Schools System will have the opportunity to receive some type of health care moving forward.
The city Board of Education convened Tuesday evening and passed a telehealth services agreement between the school system and Blue Ridge Medical Management, through Mountain States Medical Group, allowing the students to have access to a practitioner from a screen.
The board voted unanimously with board member Dr. Grover May abstaining from the vote.
Elizabethton High School, T.A. Dugger Junior High School and East Side, Harold McCormick and West Side elementary schools will be able to utilize the opportunity of having a physician on the other side of a monitor when a health situation arises, while accompanied by a nurse.
Physicians can provide treatment for common medical problems, which include:
• Fever
• Sore Throat
• Allergy Symptoms
• Ear Pain
• Nausea
• Abdominal Pain
• Skin Irritation
• Inflammation
• Limb Sprains
• Chronic Illness
• Urinary Tract Infection
Dr. May, who abstained due to his medical work in Washington County, praised the idea and the only concern raised was the possibility of the school using their resources from taxpayers to benefit a private entity.
Director of Schools Dr. Corey Gardenhour told BOE members that negotiations were fruitful, allowing the opportunity for a student to use the telecommunication for the first time for no cost. Any additional visits through the program would see the company bill the students’ insurance company $49.
“Our school health officials are excited about this,” Gardenhour said, adding that this opportunity allows children who normally wouldn’t have access to health care to be able to have the chance while at school.
According to information provided from the Niswonger Children’s Virtual Health Clinics, schools that utilize this option will call a parent before initiating a visit to obtain consent and parents can also participate in the visit.
After a visit via telecommunication, Mountain States will follow up with the child’s primary care doctor to help arrange any necessary secondary appointments.
Practitioners working on the other side of the screen will be local, too, according to Dr. Gardenhour.
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Assistant Director of Schools Richard VanHuss opened the meeting by honoring remaining Teachers of the Year in the school system. A handful of teachers were honored during February’s meeting and the BOE took the opportunity to honor remaining teachers.
Joe Diaz and Frank Faniola, with Elizabethton High and West Side, were unable to attend due to prior commitments. VanHuss then presented Amber Ebarb and Julie Smith of Harold McCormick and Julie Hartsook of West Side with their accolades.
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In other business, EHS athletic director Mike Wilson gave a presentation for the BOE to look at allowing the system to use planetHS as a way to help keep a better log of sports physicals. Dr. Gardenhour also added the system is looking at the possibility of upping excused absences to five and bumping unexcused absences down to two following concerns from parents. BOE student liaison Cory Fitzsimmons also provided an update on his recent trip to the SCOPE Conference and gave feedback on a survey performed that indicated that 30 percent of students surveyed at EHS did not eat lunch at the school. The remaining percentage stated they either ate at the school or packed lunches.