Extension hosts Auburn, community healthcare discussion

By Tana Shealey, County Extension Coordinator

Lowndes County community leaders and residents are learning about a special healthcare project offered through Auburn University.

During a health care discussion held at the Fort Deposit Town Hall on July 17, residents learned about a telehealth service named OnMed which at no cost to communities.

“The Auburn University office of Community Outreach team has also presented information to the Lowndes County Commission and the Lowndes County Economic Development Board about OnMed,” said Tana Shealey, Alabama Cooperative Extension Coordinator.

“Our collaborative team is thrilled with the opportunity to support the health of the Chambers County community based on the feedback we have received directly from the community members themselves,” said Hollie Cost, assistant vice president of University Outreach and Public Service.

Auburn Community Outreach team member Lori Marine said the group is working with two other rural communities including Chambers County.

According to an Auburn University news release, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn Outreach and the Auburn colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Human Sciences have teamed up with leaders from the City of LaFayette and Chambers County to provide a facility. Through the OnMed Care Station —one of only four of its kind in the U.S.— residents can experience affordable, private, and real-time visits with Alabama-licensed health care professionals in a virtual setting, and for the first 60 days, they can use the facility at no charge.

The goal is to have the telehealth program meet health care needs of communities.

“With the OnMed telehealth solution, the top two [needs] that come to mind are convenience and cost savings,” Marine said. “Patients in rural communities often face long travel times and expenses associated with accessing healthcare. We know that some residents do not have reliable transportation to make those long trips. A local OnMed station reduces these burdens by enabling consultations close to home, saving time and money.”

“Of course, the other savings is that visits to the OnMed station are [supported at] no cost for the patient,” Marine said. “The ultimate benefit of an OnMed station would be that it reduces healthcare disparities and improves health care outcomes for the county.”

Shealey said local discussions on the matter will continue with no decision from any group on the possibility of the service being used in Lowndes County.

For more information regarding telehealth, and the Office of Community Outreach and Public Service or planned classes of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, please contact Tana Shealey at 334-548-2315.