School-Based Telehealth Program

UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh offers a school-based telehealth service called UPMC Children's AnywhereCare@School.

The program will let school nurses start a video visit with a Children's provider, right from their school office. Together, the nurse and student will see a health care provider through the nurse's computer.

Because the program will use our UPMC Children's AnywhereCare platform, visits will be both secure and private.

How Can a Student Access AnywhereCare@School?

If a student isn't feeling well, they would go to the nurse's office as usual.

The nurse may provide care or decide that a video visit with a medical provider would be helpful.

While the nurse must be the one who requests it, parents or guardians can join the virtual visit. The nurse will send you a link to log in.

You don't need a UPMC Children's AnywhereCare account if using a computer. But you do need an account if using a mobile device or tablet.

    To take part in the school telehealth program, you must:

    • Enroll your child ahead of time, before they need care.
    • Sign a consent form.

    Video visits through this program will be free, and we won't bill your health insurer.

    What Telehealth Services Will the Program Offer?

    Nurses may request a video visit when a student comes to the office for conditions such as:

    • Rashes or other skin issues.
    • Ear pain.
    • Sore throat.
    • Eye infections.
    • Bug bites.
    • Asthma or other respiratory illness.
    • Stomach pain (to rule out appendicitis).

    If the Children's provider recommends it, the nurse may give the student these common over-the-counter (OTC) drugs:

    • Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Motrin® or Advil®), for pain or fever.
    • Cetirizine liquid (Zyrtec®) for hives or mild allergic symptoms.
    • Bacitracin (triple antibiotic ointment) for cuts and scrapes after cleaning.
    • Clotrimazole cream (Lotrimin®) for starting treatment of fungal rashes.
    • 1% hydrocortisone cream for itch or dry eczema on skin.

    Families that use MyUPMC, UPMC's patient portal, will be able to find details of their child's visit.

    Why Choose UPMC Children's Hospital for School-Based Telehealth?

    UPMC Children's will be the only health care provider in the Pittsburgh region to offer telehealth services at school.

    The AnywhereCare@School program will:

    • Help keep kids in school. Being able to access a provider from school helps keep kids healthier and decreases their chances of missing days.
    • Offer convenience for parents. You can stay at work or home when your child has a video visit and is well enough to stay at school.
    • Make getting a prescription easy. The Children's provider can send an electronic prescription to the pharmacy that you list on the sign-up form.

    Look for more details about UPMC Children's School-Based Telehealth Program coming soon.