Events like the tragedy in Parkland make us evaluate our respective roles and consider what we can do to ensure such a thing never happens again. Some have the power to create legislation or local policies, others can simply have a conversation with their children.

At the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, we are motivated to find a meaningful way to contribute to the safety of our community. After assessing our programs and capabilities, we asked the question: “What can the College do to improve access to mental health care in our community and its schools?”

Manatee County has been designated as a mental health care provider shortage area since 2016. Across our state and region, there is a lack of resources and providers for mental health treatment. Our region also has rural areas which are underserved for both general practice healthcare and mental health care.

Telehealth presents an opportunity to bring healthcare and mental health assessment and treatment to areas that lack access to clinics and providers. Telehealth, or telemedicine, is the interaction between a patient and doctor or specialist through video teleconference on a computer, tablet and smart phone. Telehealth provides an accessible starting point when patients and providers need quick and reliable access to care. Once an assessment is made through telehealth, the provider can determine if the patient needs face-to-face care. Telehealth coverage is increasingly being included in insurance plans.

Evidence is emerging that telehealth is an effective approach for assisting with the management of individuals with acute and chronic mental health conditions, including vulnerable children and adults who may have difficulty accessing routine services. It is also being used with positive outcomes in elementary, middle and high schools for mental health screening, treatment and education, as well as to help support children and school nurses with special care needs.

Florida’s Telehealth Advisory Council reports that “many providers reported a lack of knowledge about telehealth services and indicated interest in gaining access to evidence-based practices, educational resources, and training opportunities associated with telehealth.”  Telehealth training certificate programs are urgently needed to effectively educate our nursing and health professions students and for Florida’s healthcare providers.

To meet that need, SCF submitted a proposal to the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund for a telehealth certificate program for the region’s nursing and health professions students and healthcare providers. If the grant is approved and funded we will work in collaboration with our regional clinical agencies, volunteer organizations and regional healthcare system leadership and staff to help improve access to mental health care to address the region’s current mental health care provider shortage, and provide the skills needed in the community to deliver accessible, evidence-based mental health care.

If the state choses to fund our $850,000 request, we can create and deliver the telehealth certificate program, an extremely economical option with wide-reaching implications for our region. Educating our healthcare providers on uses of telehealth could extend health care into underserved areas of Manatee and Sarasota Counties and increase mental health assessment and treatment capabilities for our schools.

With regional input and support from the state, SCF is dedicated to making our service area a better place to live and work. We believe that by working together on these types of collaborative initiatives, we can tackle the tough issues in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.