Johnson County board approves revised MOU to keep EMD telehealth, adds equipment and staffing conditions

The Johnson County School Board voted to approve a revised memorandum of understanding with vendor EMD to continue providing telehealth services for students and staff, adding stipulations requiring EMD to replace or repair substandard equipment and to provide a replacement nurse practitioner within seven days if the district-employed provider is unavailable.

The decision follows extended public comment and internal debate over whether to replace EMD with another vendor, including Ballad Health, or to issue a request for proposals. The board’s motion — approved on a roll call vote — keeps the current telehealth arrangement in place while requiring corrective steps from EMD and adding contractual safeguards.

The issue drew a large public response: the board discussed a community survey with 635 responses, of which 69.6% favored keeping the current EMD telehealth arrangement. School staff and parents addressed the board in person,…