The ABCs of Telehealth in Schools

The Federal Communications Commission and the US Treasury Department are giving schools a tremendous opportunity to close both the homework gap and the healthcare gap. Though the investments are not specifically earmarked for telehealth, it can still win big if communities leverage the FCC’s $7.1 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and Treasury’s $122 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). One particular benefit is the fact that schools can use ECF money to build broadband infrastructure if none of the known Internet service providers in a particular region will do it. According to a 2019 report funded in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration, school-based health centers using telehealth grew from 7 percent to 19 percent in 2016-17, reaching over 1 million students in 1,800 US public schools. The massive opportunity provided in these programs to deploy remote broadband and laptops, build networks in unserved areas, and enhance telehealth programs already in place at schools may turbocharge telehealth adoption that has already been on the rise.

[Craig Settles assists cities and co-ops with business planning for broadband and telehealth.]