Students at Patrick County High School have a new health care option with Tri-Area Community Health’s school-based clinic. Opening of the clinic coincided with the Tuesday, Aug. 11 new school year.
Initially, the clinic will offer students virtual appointments.
Director of School-Based Services Pam Hylton said virtual appointments will be available until nurses and medical providers are trained and in place at the PCHS clinic.
“They would just be able to start using it through the school nurse’s office at each school. We have provided each school, including the high school, with a TytoCare device, which is a digital instrument that the school nurse can use for students whose parents have given consent for them to use our Tri-Area services. It’s like a regular doctor’s appointment, but they use those tools to obtain blood pressure, pulse, they can get the heartbeat, ears, nose, throat exam,” she said.
Hylton said the TytoCare device also has a camera that can look inside and take pictures, if needed, of the ears, nose, throat and skin.
While she does not have a definitive date, Hylton estimates in-person services will begin sometime this fall.
Caption:
Tri-Area Community Health donated boxes of tissues to Patrick County Public Schools. From left are Angie Tallman, LPC; Patrick County School Board Clerk Sara Leigh Collins; and Tri-Area Director of School-Based Services Pam Hylton.
