CCSD students to have access to free telehealth primary care

The Clark County School District’s roughly 325,000 students will have access to free telehealth primary care appointments at school starting in August.

The Board of Trustees unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding in mid-May with Hazel Health, which agreed to offer the service through May 31, 2025.

Services will be provided at no cost to students, with parent or guardian consent. And there is no limit on the number of visits students can receive. Company officials are working with CCSD on how to roll out the service amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s a virtual health clinic that can be accessed from CCSD school campuses during school hours. While a school nurse is with them, a student will communicate with a medical provider via live video using an iPad.

“It looks as close as possible to what you can get in a pediatric office,” Hazel Health CEO Josh Golomb said.

In a Thursday statement, CCSD said there won’t be a cost to the school district or students’ families. Hazel Health will bill Medicaid when possible and won’t charge families with private insurance.

“The goal of the service is to increase student attendance and health by providing easy access to a doctor in situations where issues prevent a visit to a traditional doctor’s office,” the school district said.

Hazel Health, a San Francisco-based health care company, contracts with schools and school districts and serves more than 600,000 students nationwide. It was founded in 2017 and launched its program in schools in 2018.

While Hazel Health serves all students, its focus is on low-income populations, where access to health care is often an issue, Golomb said.

The service allows schools to avoid calling an ambulance for minor medical issues that arise during the school day if a parent isn’t able to pick up their child, said Raquel Antunez, co-founder and vice president of education for Hazel Health.

Golomb added: “For a lot of those families, we end up solving that short-term acute condition.” But he noted Hazel Health also wants to partner with a family’s local doctor or help families find one.

Hazel Health plans to hire licensed health care providers in Nevada: pediatricians, physical assistants and nurse practitioners. Providers can write prescriptions, but parents need to pay for medications or appointments outside of school.