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| The Davis Mountain Clinic offers an exam room for patients. (Photo by Carol Brewer, Daily Yonder) |
The Davis Mountain Clinic was created by Texas A&M and Texas
Tech universities to bring remote medical and mental health care to the area’s
aging population, explains Figueiredo.
One in five residents in this mountainous county don’t have
reliable broadband, and the only doctor is semi-retired, causing most of the
population to drive 30 minutes for care, Figueiredo reports.
As the county has a median age of 58, the telehealth hub offers
not just reliable broadband, but “digital literacy for older residents, trusted
community health workers, and practical ways for clinicians to weave virtual
visits into everyday care.”
The director and local registered nurse for the clinic,
Carol Brewer, can monitor vital signs, execute physical exams and help patients
navigate their virtual telehealth appointments. She
told the Yonder, "The advantage is, when they
come here to see the doctor, I manage the technology on my end, they don’t have
to deal with that at all…I’m the hands of the physician via telehealth.”
This is not the only area of Texas that struggles with
internet connectivity and access to nearby health care. Communities in Erath,
Hockley and Reeves counties are working on bridging the gap in services by
offering private telehealth rooms, medical monitoring equipment and guidance
from staff through local libraries, Figueiredo reports.
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