When Texas school children re-entered the classroom after the Easter break, Baylor Scott & White Health and Salado ISD announced an expanded pilot programme created in the autumn to bring virtual health options to school nurses at Thomas Arnold Elementary School and Salado Middle School.

The pilot is designed to facilitate care for elementary and middle school students by connecting the school nurse, the child’s parent or guardian, and a Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center provider via a video visit. Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s is staffed by specially trained paediatric doctors and surgeons in 40 paediatric specialties, with technology, equipment and accommodations designed especially for children.

“Our commitment to assuring the best possible outcome for each child entrusted to our care is expanding with this virtual health video visit programme,” said Dell Ingram-Walker, vice president at Texas-based Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s. “We have so far been able to bring quality care and convenience to school nurses, parents and their children, helping them save time scheduling care.”

Families at Thomas Arnold Elementary School were among the first participants in the pilot last autumn. Last month, the programme was expanded to include all students enrolled in Salado ISD who wish to participate.

“Education and healthcare are two of the most important services we can provide our students,” said Salado ISD superintendent Michael Novotny. “We are excited to merge these two services through our collaboration with McLane Children’s by providing virtual health appointments for our students at our schools. This will be very convenient for parents because it will reduce the need for them to leave work to take their students to the doctor’s office. The chances of other students or employees catching a possible illness lessens, and our students’ attendance will benefit as the amount of time out of school to go to an appointment will be reduced. Most importantly, it will allow students to be diagnosed and treated sooner so they can get well.”

Parents can pre-register their children for this pilot programme upon enrolment through Salado ISD or register at any time during the school year online. Students do not have to be current patients of Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s but must be enrolled in a Salado ISD school. Once enrolled, parents will have access to the MyBSWHealth app for virtual care needs.

Common conditions can be addressed during a virtual health visit, such as asthma and allergies, cold and flu, cough, fever, head lice, pink eye, sore throat, stomach aches, and other digestive issues.

When a registered student visits the school nurse, the nurse will determine if a virtual visit with a provider is needed. If it is, the nurse may contact the student’s parent or guardian to coordinate a time. At the scheduled appointment, the school nurse and Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s provider will conduct a virtual visit with both the student and parent or guardian on screen to discuss the ailment and treatment options.

An after-visit summary is provided to the school nurse and to the parent or guardian via the MyBSWHealth app, and prescriptions can be sent to the family’s preferred pharmacy. While this programme is not meant to replace primary care providers, it supplements care with a same-day option for same-day care needs without significantly disrupting the student’s or parent’s schedule.

“Our hope is that more families take advantage of this convenient virtual care option and that we continue to expand this option in our community,” said Ingram-Walker.

Baylor Scott & White Health is an integrated care delivery network. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1100 access points including flagship academic medical centres in Dallas and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to specialty care, throughout Texas and via virtual touchpoints.