Cook Children's School-Based Virtual Health

Designed with schools, parents, and children in mind, this program saves time, reduces outbreaks of contagious illnesses and lost school days, relieves stress for children, and parents no longer have to leave work right away and try to squeeze a child into a last-minute doctor's appointment or urgent care clinic.

How does it work?

With the parent's permission, a student may be evaluated by a board-certified pediatrician or certified nurse practitioner through a virtual conference. Parents have the option of being a part of the virtual visit by logging into a secure website or joining by phone. If the child has a condition appropriate for Virtual Health, the school nurse can connect with a Cook Children's pediatrician or nurse practitioner.

The Cook Children's provider will complete an assessment of the student to include input from the school nurse and participating parent/legal guardian during the visit. The school nurse will assist the provider during the evaluation through the use of special equipment as needed. The provider can hear the student's heart and lungs with a digital stethoscope. The provider can closely examine the student's ears, throat, rash, or abrasions with a high definition camera.

Upon completion of the evaluation, the provider will give instructions for follow-up care and submit a prescription to the pharmacy of choice if needed. A record of the student's visit will be kept in Cook Children's medical records for future reference and a copy is sent to the primary care physician on record. A return to school note is sent to the school if needed. The parent/guardian will have access to all treatment information through the MyCookChildren's patient portal.

To register your student, visit here.

For more information about Cook Children's School-Based Virtual Health, visit here.