Neumann University has partnered with TimelyMD, a medical telehealth service, to provide free, on-demand, 24/7 health care for students. TimelyMD provides support for physical and mental health issues and allows students to get advice on these topics at any time.
Students will be able to use two services offered by the company: the medical platform, which is staffed by doctors and nurse practitioners, and “Talk Now,” which is staffed by mental healthcare providers.
The telehealth service is available 52 weeks a year in all 50 states for Neumann’s undergraduate and graduate students, who can access these services through an app or a website on a computer with video capability. Student records will be confidentially shared between the telehealth company and university staff in the Counseling Center and Student Health Services to provide continuity of care for each student.
“I think this will be really well received by our students,” said Dr. Chris Haug, Neumann’s vice president for student affairs. “It gives more flexibility for our students when they are sick. It just makes sense for our community, particularly during this pandemic.”
According to Haug, this service will be up and running on August 31. In addition, the Student Health Services office on campus will be staffed with a coordinator, a contracted physician through Riddle Hospital, and a Bayada Home Health Care nurse during regular business hours.
Along with the staff in Student Health Services, the Bayada nurse will share health care education with students, assist as case managers for students who become ill and quarantine at home, and assist them with their return to campus once they have recovered. According to Haug, they may also be stationed at check points and building entrances from time to time to remind students to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines.
The university’s Counseling Center for Wellness will also continue to work with students. Its staff is comprised of board-certified master-level providers and master-level interns who practice as generalists, allowing the center to work with a wide variety of student needs.
