Chronic absenteeism is plaguing schools. Could school-based medical care be just the thing to remedy this stubborn problem?

Data from Intermountain Health’s school-based telehealth program suggests it can certainly help, which is why Canyons School District is pilot testing the program this year at 17 schools. The telehealth program is now available to not only students, but employees at 10 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, and one specialty school. Employees can additionally receive telehealth services during business hours at the District Offices, 9361 S. 300 East, Sandy.

“Students need to feel well to do well in school, and they need to be in school to learn,” said Canyons Nursing Specialist Jen Gerrard. “School-based telehealth gives students the ability to meet with a healthcare provider during school hours without having to leave the school grounds. What’s more, parents can join the telehealth visit without having to leave work. It’s super convenient and affordable.”

Thirty-two percent of Canyons District students were chronically absent in 2023-2024, which means they missed more than 10 percent of the school year. It’s a nationwide problem that started during the pandemic and has persisted since.

The reasons students miss school vary, ranging from personal or family struggles and transportation and health issues to students not feeling engaged at school or feeling like they’ve fallen behind too much to catch up. “Absenteeism is a complex challenge and, while the telehealth program isn’t a cure-all, it’s another tool at our disposal,” Gerrard said. “The research is clear: Students who miss too much school don’t perform as well as their peers.”

The school-based telehealth program helps reduce absenteeism in two ways: by alleviating the need to leave school for a doctor’s appointment and by getting needed care to students swiftly so that, if they do need time away to recuperate, they can return to school more quickly. The wait time for most appointments is less than 10-15 minutes.

“This program is working and is proving to be a valuable asset,” said Shelly Cooper, program development manager for Intermountain Health, noting a 2023-2024 test of the program in the Wasatch School District is estimated to have saved 5,500 days of education. 

“For students who use the program, 96 percent of them return to class. If they do go home, 82 percent miss less than one day of school,” Cooper said.

Telehealth services also have been shown to reduce hospitalization and emergency care visits, making health care more affordable for families. The program takes most health insurance, even some out-of-network plans.

To participate in the School-Based Telehealth program, parents sign a consent form [LINK] to treat their child and provide their health insurance information. For families who don’t have health insurance, a Connect Care visit costs $69. Financial assistance for this service is available.

“The program is equally affordable for schools,” Gerrard said. “The equipment we need for the telehealth visits, such as cameras, blood-pressure cuffs, and otoscopes, was provided for us and we won’t be charged maintenance fees for the first year.”

Through telehealth, students and employees can receive immediate care for a growing list of concerns, including, allergies, asthma, skin rashes, colds and fevers, nausea, sore throats, eye and ear infections, and more. Additionally, adults and children 12 years of age and older can be tested for urinary tract infections.

“Let’s say a student comes down to the school nurse because her ear hurts. We would reach out to the parents to see if they were interested in doing a telehealth visit. If they agree, they would sign a consent form and we would get them on the call with a provider and the school nurse,” Gerrard said. “If the provider feels the situation warrants antibiotics, they could call it in while the student receives a dose of over-the-counter pain medicine and goes back to class, and the parents could pick up the prescription on the way home from work.”

If all goes well, Canyons hopes to expand the program and bring it to more schools.

“We think this will be really popular for busy teachers as well,” Gerrard said. “So many times, not wanting to miss class, teachers will wait to address a suspected health problem until after work on evenings or the weekend. Now they can conveniently and affordably get checked out before something small becomes something bigger.”

Telehealth Pilot Locations

Copperview Elementary

East Midvale Elementary

East Sandy Elementary

Glacier Hills Elementary

Life Skills Academy

Lone Peak Elementary

Midvale Elementary

Midvalley Elementary

Peruvian Park Elementary

Sandy Elementary

Sunrise Elementary

Eastmont Middle

Midvale Middle

Mt. Jordan Middle

Union Middle

Brighton High

Hillcrest High

Jordan High