the giving effect  2025      29 
Shaped by place
This growth is not only geographic. It reflects a 
broader understanding of what access to care can 
mean when it is embedded in daily life. The tools 
may be the same from school-based clinic to clinic, 
but the approach changes depending on local needs.
In urban schools, telehealth often minimizes 
disruption. Students can be seen the same day, 
which helps manage chronic conditions, minor 
illnesses or emerging concerns without leaving 
school grounds. The result is continuity: Students 
stay in class, and families face fewer interruptions to 
work and daily routines.
In rural communities, where providers are fewer 
and distance impacts daily decisions, telehealth 
improves access. It shortens long drives, reduces 
missed work and helps families reach care that 
might otherwise be out of reach.
In both settings, schools become the most reliable 
point of connection, offering both the technology 
and the continuity families might otherwise lack. 
The deeper value of telehealth lies in what happens 
next. A school-based visit may address a need in 
the moment, but value-based care asks a longer 
question: What will this child and family need 
tomorrow?
“Great value-based care means I took care of 
you today, but I’m already thinking about what 
you’ll need tomorrow,” says Danielle Swartz, vice 
president of population health and value-based 
care. “Our job is to see you, recognize what comes 
next and help connect you to it, so families don’t 
have to figure it out on their own.”
That forward-looking approach shifts care from 
reactive to preventive. When an issue identified 
at school signals a larger need, teams can step 
in — calling parents, coordinating follow-up 
or connecting a child back to primary care or 
additional services. The goal is to anticipate needs 
early and help families move forward without 
having to navigate the system alone.
A regional effort
The growth of school-based telehealth across the 
region has been driven by intentional, coordinated 
partnerships. Public funding approved by Guilford 
PICTURED  A student at Alamance County’s 
Hillcrest Elementary School receives care 
without having to leave school or be picked up 
by her working parent. Clinics are now in 40 
schools across three counties.

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