However, Cook Children’s School-Based Virtual Health Program is helping school nurses and parents ease some of that chaos.

“I see the benefit for my own family,” said Erwin, an LVN, IBCLC, and virtual health nurse coordinator with Cook Children’s.

Nurses in the Celina Independent School District now join 14 other school districts in offering virtual health appointments, with no upfront cost, through the school nurse’s office. A parent or legal guardian must register and consent before the visit.

The virtual health services can help diagnose:

• Earaches
• Fevers
• Coughs and colds
• Skin rashes
• Minor skin infections
• Abrasions/cuts/scrapes
• Sore throats
• Flu-like symptoms
• Pink eye
• Head lice

Autumn Morris, an APRN CPNP-PC and a virtual health nurse practitioner, met with Celina ISD nurses to train them on the program before the school year. Each campus nurse is provided with a stethoscope and an otoscope to use during virtual visits to help with diagnoses. Each item plugs into a laptop, allowing Morris to see inside a child’s ear and listen to their heartbeat, for example. In addition, each campus nurse is trained and certified to administer a flu and strep test if needed during the visit.

“It’s nice because then we can get the results right there,” said Allycia Cundiff, Celina ISD lead nurse.

Cundiff looks forward to the partnership and the impact it will have on the community. Morris will be able to determine if a child needs to be sent home or if they can stay in class, helping reduce absences.

Erwin says program data shows 65% of visits are due to a sore throat.

“We meet you where you're at because a lot of times it's really hard to get off work when your kid is sick,” said Morris.

Parents can choose to attend the virtual visit. Following the appointment, Morris will contact parents with information about the visit and post-care instructions. If a child must be sent home, an excuse note is sent directly to the school. A copy of the visit is also provided to the child’s pediatrician. 

Erwin explains that the virtual appointment does not replace a child’s primary care pediatrician but is a collaborative effort. Morris says the line of communication with the pediatrician can help determine if a child may need to see a specialist. 

“We want them to have a primary care physician (PCP) placement, and if they don't have that, we work hard to find them one with Cook Children's,” said Erwin.

Once the visit is completed, Cook Children’s will bill the parent’s insurance provider.

A visit to the nurse’s office

“Kids like it, too, because they think the technology is cool,” said Erwin. “They get to come in, they get to see Autumn on the screen and they get to talk.”

Morris works with more than 100 schools, providing care to them. She and Erwin lead the training with all district nurses in the program.

“I want them to know that I'm not just the provider who's seeing that kid at that moment, but I'm a resource to them (nurses) so they can reach out to me if there are any issues or concerns,” said Morris.

The program has been in place for eight years. Morris describes the partnership as the school nurses being her "hands" as she diagnoses a child's illness. If additional testing or care is required, she is able to refer the child to a Cook Children's Urgent Care or Cook Children's Medical Center Prosper, just a short drive from Celina.

“We always say, you don't just get me, you get a giant hospital system attached to me,” said Morris. “We are passionate employees of the system but we are passionate parents who love our kids.”

It is that confidence and reassurance that makes Cundiff excited for the partnership, not just as a nurse but as a parent herself.

 “We have a lot of parents that work for the district and it is really hard to leave work, especially if you're a teacher,” explained Cundiff.

Anatomy of a visit

A typical visit can last anywhere from two minutes to five minutes. Children will present themselves at the school nurse’s office, and a nurse will determine if a virtual visit may be helpful. If so:

• A parent or legal guardian is contacted for consent.
• The nurse will request a visit with Morris.
• The campus nurse will collect vitals.
• Virtual visit begins

Celina ISD began school on August 13. Parents can register for the program online.

In the following video, our team answers the questions they hear most frequently, including how COVID-19 has impacted the program.

Learn more on our website.