Atrium Health Navicent and Peach County Schools are celebrating a successful first year of partnership to provide school-based virtual health care services.

Since its inception in August 2022, the Atrium Health Navicent School-Based Virtual Care program has provided 461 virtual visits for Peach County Schools’ 3,600 students and 500 teachers and school staff members.

The program offers access to a virtual visit with a health care provider without leaving the school campus and acts as an extension of services provided by established school nurses. Patients are afforded near-immediate access to the next level of care. More than 60 percent of the students, teachers and staff who have used the service were able to return to class after their visit.

“Providing access to health care on Peach County Schools’ campuses means that in addition to receiving care faster, in many cases students, teachers and school staff are able to quickly return to class. Children are our future, and their access to quality health care and continued education are vital to community health, not just today, but in the years to come,” said Atrium Health Navicent President Delvecchio Finley. “Thanks to Peach County Schools for partnering with us to provide this important access to health care for Peach County families.”

Atrium Health Navicent School-Based Virtual Care allows students who previously would have been sent home without treatment an opportunity to stay at school while seeing a health provider for common symptoms such as sore throats, coughs and colds, ear pain, rashes, allergies, stomachaches, headaches and more.

Parents may join a virtual visit — either from school or another location — while students remain in a spot isolated from other students. If a prescription medicine is needed, the provider can send a prescription to a pharmacy. Teachers and school staff members have access to the same services.

If the student, teacher or school staff member is not contagious, they are allowed to return to class after the virtual visit — and parents aren’t required to leave work or other obligations.

“Peach County Schools is proud to partner with Atrium Health Navicent to address access to health care for our students,” said Gentry Trice, director of Student Services for Peach County Schools. “We are excited to provide this opportunity for our students to receive health care services without interruption to instructional opportunities.”

Parents can learn more about the program, and print a consent form for care by visiting Atrium Health Navicent’s School- Based Virtual Care website.

The program is patterned after Atrium Health Levine Children's School-Based Virtual Care, first launched six years ago to benefit families in rural counties outside Charlotte, N.C.