Ever wonder how those USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants are being used? In Kansas, the state's Department of Children and Families is using one such grant for tablets that will connect thousands of foster children with needed behavioral health services.
According to the Kansas DCF, a $516,600 grant from the USDA will be combined with more than $170,000 in matching funds from KVC Health Systems, which serves Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia and Kentucky. Roughly $355,000 of that will go to KVC Kansas, which will provide restricted-use tablets to some 3,000 foster children and 550 foster homes in 30 counties served by KVC.
The tablets will enable the children to connect via HIPAA-compliant video with therapists, as well as delivering state-required training to foster families and ongoing education videos. The video conference program, known as KVC MyLink, was launched last year to connect 160 foster families in West Virginia and Kentucky. The new grant money will boost that number to roughly 850 families.
It's one more example of how mHealth can be used to connect healthcare providers — such as behavioral health specialists — with underserved populations in remote or rural parts of the country, saving money and time that would be spent on travelling and waiting in doctor's offices.
“Children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse or neglect and who live in rural, underserved regions need support," said B. Wayne Sims, president and CEO of KVC Health Systems, in a news story. "This USDA-funded expansion is so critical because it gives each child a direct, immediate link to his or her highly-trained, caring KVC therapist. It might be that access in a moment of crisis that saves a life or makes a life-long difference. The technology will also provide foster parents with new training on how to handle family challenges."
