Mayor Ken Tedford and Commission Chairman Myles Getto cut the ribbon March 5 at the new telehealth center inside the William N. Pennington Life Center. From left are Jill Manha, Shannon Ernst, Cheri Glockner, Tedford, Getto, Eric Blakey, Brittany Burton and Jackee Stewart. Sara Dowling/LVN
Churchill County Social Services and managed care organization Silver Summit Healthplan held a ribbon cutting March 5 to announce their private telehealth consultation space.
The partnership has created “The Hub” inside the Pennington Life Center at 952 S. Maine St. Using video-conferencing technology, residents of all ages may conduct virtual visits with out-of-town physicians from the privacy of a dedicated space without the need for travel.
County Manager Jim Barbee thanked Social Services Director Shannon Ernst, Senior and Disability Services Manager Jill Manha, Office Specialist Brittany Burton and Human Services Office Supervisor Jackee Stewart for coordinating with Silver Summit to make this happen.
The room is available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and must be booked in advance by calling the Life Center at 775-423-7096. Ernst said this allows a staff member to be available to help with using the technology during the appointment, if necessary. The staff will also reset the room after the appointment, including steps such as sanitizing and confirming the patient has logged out on the tablet to preserve their privacy.
Commission Chairman Myles Getto said The Hub is one way the county is dealing with the lack of providers in the community by increasing access to mental and physical health resources and crisis intervention for those without available transportation.
The Hub, a new telehealth space inside the Pennington Life Center, allows for a private virtual consultation with a roster of medical professionals without traveling out of town. The room features a digital tablet with a video camera, a scale, a pulse oximeter and a blood pressure monitor within a relaxing environment of comfortable seats and adjustable lighting. Sara Dowling/LVNFallon Mayor Ken Tedford said that he appreciates the new community connections for physical health, but also that the increased access to mental health resources are “very important” to him.
“I really like to stress the ability for people to come here and be able to talk to someone about issues that may be troubling them,” Tedford said. “Something that they haven’t been able to do and that means so much to me.”
Cheri Glockner, director of marketing and government relations at Silver Summit Healthplan, thanked the Churchill County team for “having the vision to pull all of this together.”
“We’re so excited to be here today,” Glockner said. “We believe that access to quality healthcare should not be dependent on geography.”
Two digital tablets are available – one inside the room to be used during an appointment and one on a pedestal in the waiting area that can be used to search for local resources for food, rides and other support services. The space also features a scale, a pulse oximeter and a blood pressure monitor within a relaxing environment of comfortable seats and adjustable lighting.
“The more that people utilize the service the more we can continue to expand,” Ernst said.