Intermountain Healthcare https://intermountainhealthcare.org, United Way of Salt Lake, https://uw.org and Promise South Salt Lake www.southsaltlakecity.com have started using are telehealth to help provide care in underserved populations. The partners have opened a telehealth kiosk to provide low-cost care to underserved populations in the City of South Salt Lake.
Residents in the area can now access healthcare for low-level urgent care conditions through Intermountain’s Connect Care, a telehealth service that is already available online and on mobile devices which will now become even easier for residents to use through an onsite kiosk donated by American Well www.americanwell.com. The kiosk is equipped with a wide range of diagnostic tools including a blood pressure cuff, otoscope, thermometer, scale, and oximeter.
Connect Care can handle colds, flu, coughs, sore throats, UTIs, rash, eye infections, headaches, and minor sprains or strains. Visits cost as little as $10 for individuals on many insurance plans and for individuals covered by Medicaid, a visit costs $3 or less. Also, representatives will work with individuals who want to use the kiosk, but are not able to pay to help cover the cost of care by connecting them with resources at Intermountain Healthcare.
The partnership also serves as a point of education where volunteers are working with residents to ensure that they have access whenever they need urgent care. They are taught how to download an app or they are able to sign up on the website so the residents can use Connect Care from home as well as from the kiosk.
In addition to the launch of the kiosk services, language translation will be provided as a service. Interpreters will be available to anyone using Connect Care including on the website and mobile app. Intermountain is partnering with GLOBO to offer this service since is needed for refugees and other populations that sometimes find it difficult to find care for their conditions and understand treatment plans if not provided in their native language.