Many children in Virginia have been diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety, and severe anger control; but almost 90 of the 135 localities in Virginia do not have a public child psychiatrist in their city, town or county.
Now the University of Virginia Health System is stepping in with the power of television.
“Before we had the program we had families driving up from Danville to see us and of course that is extremely inconvenient and it’s impossible for a lot of them,” said Dr. Jim Tucker, with the Child Psychiatry Center.
Mindy Conley, with Danville Community Services said, “ (Here in Danville)It’s very economically depressed and its difficult to pay for the gas costs and for parents to take time off of work.”
UVA has worked out a way to provide services to Southside Virginia by television; its called telemedicine.
Over the past year doctors have helped treat over 100 children even though they are miles and miles away.
“Telemedicine answers that need, because with it, as long as the other end has the equipment we can go wherever we need to, to provide services,” said Dr. Tucker.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Jummy Olabanji
Quelle/Source: WCAV, 12.10.2007
