Hedrick Family Care to Offer In-School Video Visits to Chillicothe Schools

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — Hedrick Family Care, in partnership with the Chillicothe R-II School District, will begin offering a new program this fall called In-School Video Visits to staff and students at all Chillicothe R-II schools, including Grand River Technical School. Through this program, one of Hedrick’s medical professionals will use specialized video equipment to evaluate and diagnose students and staff with sore throats, coughs, rashes, and other common acute ailments. The program is completely optional and is designed to help reduce the school time students and faculty members miss for health-related issues. Meanwhile, parents or guardians can get their children the care they need while missing less work.

With a parent’s or guardian’s consent and assistance from the school nurse, the student can be diagnosed by a health care provider and return to class without needing to visit Hedrick Family Care. In the case of a fever or contagious illness, the health care provider may send the student home after the online visit. Additionally, if the student requires any prescriptions, they will be sent to the family’s preferred pharmacy. Prior to the student’s visit, a school nurse will schedule the virtual appointment and Hedrick Family Care staff will call the parent or guardian for consent to the appointment. Parents or guardians can fill out a consent form ahead of time, which will be available on the hospital’s website at saintlukeskc.org/hedrickinschool. Parents and guardians will also have the ability to join their child’s video visit via a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

In-School Video Visits will be a low-cost service, as there are no up-front costs. Visits are billed to the student’s or faculty member’s insurance provider or Medicaid. For those without insurance, Hedrick Family Care will work with the family to find payment assistance.

“We’re very excited to be working with the Chillicothe R-II School District on this exciting, innovative care model,” said Steve Schieber, CEO, Hedrick Medical Center. “We really feel that this will help keep the students in school and make it easier on the parents as well. It’s also a great opportunity for school faculty who may have found it difficult in the past to fit in a clinic visit around their busy and demanding schedules. The program is completely optional, so only those students who have parental or guardian consent will be provided with in-school video visits.”

For more information on the program, including a list of the common ailments that can be seen via the in-school video appointments, visit saintlukeskc.org/hedrickinschool.       

Hedrick Medical Center is a member of Saint Luke's Health System, which consists of 16 area hospitals and several specialty and primary care practices, and provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services. Founded as a faith-based, nonprofit organization, our mission includes a commitment to the highest levels of excellence in health care and the advancement of medical research and education. The health system is an aligned organization in which the physicians and hospitals assume responsibility for enhancing the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the metropolitan Kansas City area and the surrounding region.