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DeSoto Regional touts telehealth in schools; sets utilization targets for 2027
Summary
DeSoto Regional Health System told the school board the district telehealth partnership has shown stable service numbers, high parent satisfaction in a small survey, and set targets to nearly double elementary telehealth visits and expand to high schools by summer 2027.
Grayson Collins, administrator of business development at DeSoto Regional Health System, told the board the telehealth partnership with DeSoto Parish schools is aimed at keeping students in class when appropriate and removing contagious students quickly. “This initiative is focused at keeping kids in school if they're not as sick as they try to claim to be,” Collins said.
Collins reported 31 completed post-visit parent surveys with an average clinical rating of five stars and said more than 95% of respondents rated the service favorably across key questions, including likelihood-to-recommend and whether providers spent enough time addressing needs.
He gave a school-by-school utilization breakdown: 102 elementary encounters this past year (concentrated in kindergarten and third grade), 49 middle-school encounters (noting 22 in 5th grade and 19 in 8th), and 21 faculty or staff visits at Mansfield Elementary Middle School. Collins said repeat-use patterns show a growing share of visits coming from repeat-utilizers as the service expands.
On outcomes, Collins said the district has seen a modest attendance uptick coinciding with telehealth availability but cautioned telehealth is not solely responsible: the district’s overall attendance rose about 1.7% in K–3 year over year. He listed operational improvements — marketing, post-visit surveys, lab workflow changes, staffing buffers and improved IT connectivity — and set targets: approximately 200 elementary visits by summer 2027, about 75 middle-school students next summer, and an initial high-school pilot with a goal of roughly 50 students by summer 2027.
Collins closed by inviting questions and thanking the board for the partnership.
