Press release
From Mission Health:
Technology helps save time and money by making follow-up visits with specialist physicians more convenient for families living in rural communities. MY Health-e-Schools, Mission Children’s Hospital and the Mission Center for Telehealth are pleased to announce that Brad Friedman, MD, board certified in pediatric cardiology and lipidology, and Bridget Hansel, PNP, of Asheville Cardiology, are now conducting follow-up patient care visits for children via the MY Health-e-Schools school-based telemedicine network.
“Pediatric obesity, hypertension and cholesterol problems are increasingly common in our community and among our young,” said Steve North, MD, MPH and Founder and Medical Director of the Center for Rural Health Innovation. “It is often difficult to provide these patients with the full scope of services needed for a successful intervention. MY Health-e-Schools helps bring exceptional care to the patient.”
Following an initial, in-person outpatient visit at Asheville Cardiology’s pediatric practice, young patients are now able to be seen for follow-up via telemedicine at all schools in Mitchell and Yancey counties, with the exception of East Yancey and Cane River. If necessary, arrangements can be made for students at these two schools to be seen for follow-up via telemedicine. Additionally, patients who have previously been seen by pediatric cardiology for hypertension and cholesterol issues are eligible to be seen without an initial visit in Asheville.
“Using telemedicine to bring quality health care providers to patients is a proven way to increase access to medical care, especially in rural areas,” said Bryan T. Arkwright, MHA, Director of the Mission Center for Telehealth. “MY Health-e-Schools helps ensure an exceptional experience by increasing classroom attendance for students and decreasing time spent away from work for the parent or student caregiver.”
About The Center for Rural Health Innovation and MY Health-e-Schools
The Center for Rural Health Innovation (CRHI) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. The overall mission of the organization is to apply innovative technologies to improve access to health care in rural communities. The CRHI is the parent organization for MY Health-e-Schools, which has been providing school-based telemedicine in Mitchell and Yancey counties since September, 2011 and currently provides access to school-based health care for over 4000 students and staff members at 14 schools. For more information, visit http://www.crhi.org/.About Mission Children’s Hospital
Mission Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in western North Carolina. Located in Asheville, N.C., its services include pediatric and adolescent specialty care, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, and pediatric and adolescent psychiatric care. Mission Children’s Hospital has 130 beds, averages 3,000 patient admissions to its pediatric inpatient units, 4,500 outpatient pediatric surgeries and nearly 14,000 pediatric emergency department visits annually. Each year, approximately 700 ill and premature newborns receive life-saving care in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mission Children’s Hospital is a member of Mission Health, which has been named one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems in 2012 and 2013 by Thomson Reuters and Truven Health Analytics, respectively. For more information, visit missionchildrens.org.About Mission Health
Mission Health, based in Asheville, N.C., is the state’s sixth-largest health system and the region’s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. Mission Health was recognized as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems in 2012 and 2013 by Thomson Reuters and Truven Health Analytics, respectively. Mission Health is one of only two medium-sized health systems to receive this recognition in 2012 and 2013, and the only health system in North Carolina to achieve that distinction.Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in more than 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system’s flagship hospital and is licensed for 795 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Highlands, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 10,600 employees and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.