30    Cone Health Philanthropy
County commissioners helped move the model from 
a pilot to a community-wide effort. As the approach 
proved effective, donors rallied behind the work, 
including investments from the Truist, Weaver, Healthy 
High Point and Oak foundations. Partners such as 
United Way and Goodwill helped address workforce 
needs, ensuring the model could scale responsibly.
“As school-based telehealth expanded beyond 
Guilford County, it required a shift in perspective. What 
began as a local solution has increasingly become 
a regional strategy,” says Dr. John Jenkins, medical 
director for school-based care. “One designed to serve 
more schools, reach more families and respond to 
shared needs across county lines.” That shift reshaped 
how partners thought about leadership, philanthropy 
and responsibility, inviting communities to see the 
health of the region as a collective commitment.
“When I think about school-based telehealth now, 
we’re not talking about it just in Guilford — we’re 
talking about it as a regional strategy to support 
families,” says Vice President & Chief Philanthropy 
Officer Michelle Schneider. “People come to the table 
thinking about one community, but they walk away 
wanting it for every community. We didn’t have that 
before. Now we’re working as one.”
Maps tell one part of this story. 
They show reach, scale and momentum. But the 
deeper story lives in what those points represent: 
fewer missed school days, earlier intervention and 
A REGIONAL EFFORT,  
BUILT TOGETHER
The Collaborative for the 
Advancement of School Telehealth 
provides leadership for school-
based telehealth across North 
Carolina and South Carolina, 
helping communities learn from 
one another and move this work 
forward together. Scan to learn 
more about the collaborative and 
its role.

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