Santa Teresa Children’s Clinic: Transforming Rural Healthcare

The Challenge:

Inaccessible Healthcare for Rural Patients

 In New Mexico, a significant number of people live far away from urban centers. According to government statistics, more than one-third of all New Mexicans reside in rural communities. For children and their parents or guardians, getting to a clinic or emergency room can be an arduous process. Rural New Mexico residents frequently drive 40 minutes to an hour just to be seen by medical professionals. As such, many forgo routine appointments or fail to take care of their families’ medical needs.

The Approach:

Virtual Primary Care Visits with In-Clinic Quality

The answer to Santa Teresa Children’s Clinic’s biggest concerns was the integration of virtual care technology that could deliver the same clinical quality as an in-person visit. AMD’s technology provided the Clinic with the ability to conduct primary care evaluations via telehealth. The evaluations were equivalent to in-person primary care visits but could occur anywhere. This opened doors for both the Clinic’s staff as well as its young patients.

The Outcome:

Comprehensive Treatment, Continued Follow Up, Expansion of Services

Having telehealth choices and school-based AMD telemedicine solutions enables the Clinic to create personalized treatment plans, too. Having the added extension of these telemedicine devices and virtual care technology available where a child goes to school regularly allows the Clinic to see patients more often. When children are seen routinely, their treatment plans can be noted and changed to keep up with their health. An added benefit is that parents don’t have to lose as much time out of work to take their children to medical appointments. They can travel a much shorter distance to the nearest school with an AMD telemedicine system.