Get the latest industry news first by subscribing to our newsletter.
As school districts change online courses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, plans are emerging to ensure that students can access essential services, such as offering take-home food or laptops so they can take online courses.
Hazel Health, a telemedicine provider that connects academics with physicians consulted in their school’s nursing, has also adjusted plans and temporarily established a home telemedicine program for academics and their families.
“When Covid first hit, all of our spouses’ schools ended up closing,” Josh Golomb, executive director of Hazel Health, said in a phone interview.”We put it, especially for our families living in low-income spaces where it’s a big problem, Covid has exacerbated the upheavals that already existed.”
Hazel, founded five years ago through Technical Director Nick Woods and Vice President of Educational Markets Raquel Antunez, recently serves school districts representing 1.5 million students from kindergarten through grade 12, adding Denver Public Schools, Clark County School District and San Bernardino District Unified School.Beyond 3 months, their service has increased to 400%.
The San Francisco-based startup recently grossed $33.5 million in C Series funding, led by Owl Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures.Centene, UCSF and Uprising participated in the round.
“If we’re really looking to reshape access to fitness services for kids, the school site makes a lot of sense,” Golomb said.”Families already have a means of transportation. It’s a position that families and parents already trust …For us, this is a wonderful way for children to have access so they can see a doctor.”
More than 40% of families in Hazel’s program said they didn’t have a GP, and about 75% of families have fitness insurance through Medicaid or CHIP.Golomb said Hazel can simply send patients to a local pediatrician or network clinic so they simply have one in the future.
Hazel providers can care for young people with unusual ailments such as pink eyes or colds, and unlike school nurses, they can give them prescriptions that parents can pick up on their way home from work.They can also stumble upon undiagnosed conditions, such as asthma, which can make a big difference.One student missed 22 days of classes last year, however, after being diagnosed with asthma and started treatment, he only lost five days the following year.
“Often, when other people think of telehealth today, they see it as a replacement or a festival for local suppliers.We think it’s the opposite,” Golomb said. We knew a lot of young people who weren’t treated and needed someone.”
Correction: An earlier edition of this article indexed Golomb as co-founder of Hazel, who joined the company as CEO after its founding.
Hazel Health, K-12 schools, pediatrics, startups, telehealth
Get the latest industry news first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Our sites