RINCON — Effingham Health System recently extended a helping hand filled with protective equipment for some of its vital partners in the healthcare field.

Community and Operations Coordinator Joe Tallent and Chief Nursing Officer Maggie Hendler delivered a box loaded with N95 marks, face shields and isolation gowns to Rincon Elementary School for distribution to nurses throughout the Effingham County School District. The nurses are pivotal players in the fight against COVID-19.

“We have a great partnership with Effingham Health System and greatly appreciate this donation,” said Tim Hood, assistant superintendent of the Effingham County School District. 

“We have been working well together with the telemedicine in a lot of different aspects,” Tallent said. “We just felt like (the donation of personal protection equipment) this was another piece that we could do.”

Hood lauded Effingham Health System’s TELEMED program.

“That is a great program that really helps families and the school district,” Hood said.

TELEMED is an innovative and established model designed to complement and expand existing school health services to meet the needs of children through the use of technology, i.e. interactive audio, video or other telecommunications or electronic technology that connects sick children and faculty/staff in school to a health care provider in another location.

“TELEMED makes healthcare more convenient and accessible for our students,” Hood said. “It helps avoid delays in treatment and enhances learning by decreasing absenteeism.”

Parents may enroll at the beginning of the school year or opt-in at any point during the year.

TELEMED is available at all the district’s elementary schools, Effingham County Middle School and South Effingham Middle School. 

Ebenezer Middle School students will have TELEMED available in the second semester and it will be available at Effingham County and South Effingham high schools shortly thereafter.

Medicaid/PeachCare and private insurance will be billed. No child will be refused treatment due to inability to pay, however.

 Financial assistance is available.