• Duval County Public Schools announced this week that it will begin offering free telehealth services to all students 
• The service covers both comprehensive mental and physical health ailments
• Telehealth services will be provided by Hazel Health, which students will have access to both at school and at home
• The partnership aims to increase healthcare accessibility while simultaneously cutting down on missed instructional time 

Duval County Public Schools, in conjunction with Hazel Health, announced this week that it will begin offering mental and physical telehealth services to students at no cost.

Telehealth will be available to students through Hazel Health both on school grounds and at home, where students can consult with a licensed physician. Offered services include a range of examinations including the prognosis of both mental and physical health ailments.

The partnership aims to consolidate healthcare wellness checks and educational instruction to one central facility so that a child does not necessarily need to leave school to be looked at by a doctor, potentially saving lost instructional time.

“I’m very impressed with the quality of care children receive when they have a visit with Hazel Health,” said Elizabeth Trisotto, Director of School Health Services. “It’s just like as if they were seeing a provider except they’re on the video iPad as opposed to being in person.”

The two entities have taken steps to ensure that parents and guardians are involved in the telehealth process. In order to be eligible for the program, parents must fill out a consent form, along with providing contact information.

“Every time a Hazel Health visit is initiated, the parent or guardian is contacted so that they are involved with the visit and aware it is occurring,” Trisotto said.

If given parental consent, Hazel Health will also send appointment information and a discharge summary to a child’s primary care provider, as well as prescribe medication if necessary.

Through telehealth, Hazel Health and Duval County Public Schools state that it can help with common symptoms like headaches, minor injuries, infections, and other non-emergency concerns. However, the administering of vaccines, COVID-19 tests, or reproductive health care services is not permitted.

During a question and answer seminar on Monday night, practitioners for Hazel Health stated that they would be able to refill emergency medications such as those needed for asthma.

According to internal metrics, schools that utilize Hazel Health report 798 hours of class time saved, an average visitation period of fewer than two minutes, and 81 percent of students returning safely back to class.