Ochsner Launches Telehealth Service For Stressed Teachers, Support Staff

Ochsner Health is partnering with the Louisiana Department of Education to launch a telehealth platform to help teachers and support staff access mental health services.

The New Orleans-based health system will use its Ochsner Anywhere Care platform for the virtual visits, giving more than 166,000 public school educators and support staff online access to telemental health at a time when stress and depression are surging.

“Louisiana educators have done hero’s work through a pandemic and one of the most active hurricane seasons on record for our state,” State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in a press release. “They have been there for our children and families during this stressful year, and this partnership with Ochsner is one way we can be there for them.”

The three-year, million-dollar program, funded through Governor John Bel Edwards’ Emergency Education Relief Fund, will cover four connected health visits for teachers and support staff at all K-12 schools and early child centers that serve children up to age 4.

The program targets an urgent need across the country and especially in Louisiana, where nearly 40 percent of early childhood educators reported clinically relevant signs of depression in a recent survey. It will offer treatment for depression, stress, anxiety and a range of issues that include insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder eating issues and struggles with grief and loss.

“We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges to educators – both frontline teachers and administrative staff,” April Radford, Ochsner’s vice president of telemedicine, said in the release. “Teaming up with the Louisiana Department of Education to leverage our established Ochsner Anywhere Care platform helps connect educators with the mental health support they need. We are proud to support educators and this program is just one more way Ochsner is working toward a healthier state by reducing barriers to healthcare by making services affordable, convenient and accessible to all.”