By Thomas Shaffer

Let’s be honest: healthcare service models have changed more in the past three years than they have in the past two decades combined.

The catalyst for the change? COVID-19.

The pandemic spotlighted the pressing need for flexible, convenient, and accessible healthcare for all. This ethos has made its way into school healthcare systems with a shift towards more adaptable, personalized services.

The dawn of telehealth and other modern healthcare solutions on campus has brought about positive changes for students. Here are four of the key benefits that have come with transitioning to a more modern healthcare system in schools.

1. Safer school campuses
By using sophisticated healthcare technology on school campuses, we keep them safer for both students and faculty. Routine checkups and health screenings combined with quicker access to healthcare helps students stay healthy and focus on learning.

In particular, regular health screenings help to prevent outbreaks of the flu, COVID-19, and other communicable illnesses. This makes it easier to identify symptoms and isolate infected students before the illness spreads, keeping transmission rates low.

Prioritizing mental healthcare is another way to keep campuses safer. More students than ever are struggling with their mental health, with rates of conditions like anxiety and depression on the rise. These problems often start early in life - as many as one in five children and adolescents will experience mental health issues during their school years.

Access to resources like therapy sessions gives students a healthy way to deal with their mental health struggles and helps to prevent violence on campus. All students and faculty should have access to these services, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

2. Increased student and faculty productivity
Productivity is a vital aspect of any well-functioning school. Keeping both students and faculty healthy helps them spend more time in class and less time out sick, resulting in better academic achievements.

Modern healthcare solutions like telehealth visits are a key contributor to productivity on campus. Rather than having to go to a doctor’s office in person, you can schedule a virtual appointment with a healthcare professional using the internet. You’ll be able to take the appointment from the comfort of home or school, using video conferencing software or instant messaging.

This technology makes it easy for students and teachers to get medical help precisely when they need it. There’s no need to travel to the doctor’s office and wait in line, or to stay home sick for days without a diagnosis or medication.

Instead, parents and their students can get the medical advice they need where they need it, stopping illness in its tracks and wasting as little time as possible.

3. Improved daily attendance
Innovative new healthcare technology on campus also helps keep attendance rates up. Modern healthcare helps students catch illnesses early and prevent them from getting worse so they can return to class sooner.

School attendance rates across the country dropped during COVID-19, and unfortunately, the trend has continued into 2023. When students catch COVID-19 or are exposed to it through close contact, they often need to stay at home for days at a time to prevent transmission. By preventing the spread of illness, we can minimize these absences.

It’s often necessary for students to stay home to prevent the spread of illness, but the reality is that a lack of attendance can cause students to fall behind on their learning. Long periods of absence could continue to affect a student’s academic progress for years in the future. Implementing telehealth helps students have fewer sick days and more learning days.

4. More regular, convenient care
One of the biggest advantages of modern healthcare solutions is that they make it easier for students and faculty to get the care they need – regularly. This is particularly true when care is offered directly on school grounds or is easily accessible online.

It’s not always easy for teachers to take time off to see a doctor, particularly given the current teacher shortage. It’s equally difficult for parents to juggle work and taking their kids to the doctor, whether it be for routine appointments or emergency care. Additionally, many traditional healthcare options are too expensive for low- and middle-income students and teachers.

Having these services available at school makes the process of seeing a healthcare provider faster and less stressful. In fact, studies have shown that when healthcare is easy to access, people are more likely to use it. This is especially important for busy households where both parents work.

The bottom line
Modern healthcare solutions are completely reshaping the ways that students and teachers get healthcare at school - and that’s for the better. When traditional healthcare is inaccessible, schools need to implement alternative services to help the entire community of students and teachers stay healthy.

How are you stepping up to improve healthcare options in your school? There’s always more we can do to join this trend and make our schools healthier, safer places.

About the author: Thomas Shaffer is the president of Campus Clinic.