Across county lines: a regional model takes root

Through donor support and regional collaboration, school-based telehealth now connects to schools across Guilford, Rockingham and Alamance counties, strengthening access to care for students and families.

For years, school-based telehealth in Guilford County was a promising idea, carried forward by early believers, careful planning and a willingness to try something new. At its heart was a simple question: What would it look like if care showed up where children already spend their days?

Those early believers included school leaders, county leaders, community partners and donors willing to test a new model in a small group of schools — Bessemer Elementary, Union Hill Elementary, Cone Elementary and Washington Montessori School.

In these high-poverty schools, the need was immediate. Students were missing class to leave school for care, and parents were leaving work when a child became ill. For many families, treatment was delayed until late evening, often ending in a visit to the emergency department. 

The first telehealth clinic, launched at Bessemer Elementary in 2021 with support from The Duke Endowment, offered early proof of success. In its first year, the clinic served 300 students, and most returned to class the same day. Chronic absenteeism — a persistent challenge linked to lower academic outcomes and added financial strain for families — began to ease.

“I absolutely see the difference in our school community,” says Jonathan Brooks, a principal with Guilford County Schools. “Our students are healthier. They attend school more regularly. They have increased confidence.”

Today, that idea guides a regional approach. School-based telehealth has become a shared infrastructure for care, expanding across county lines and responding to needs that vary widely depending on where children and their families live.

What began in Guilford now reaches schools in Rockingham and Alamance counties, carrying with it a clear premise: Care belongs where families already are. That growth reflects both a model that proved itself and a community willing to invest in what works — expanding from a few schools into a network serving students and families across three counties.

Shaped by place

This growth is not only geographic. It reflects a broader understanding of what access to care can mean when it is embedded in daily life. The tools may be the same from school-based clinic to clinic, but the approach changes depending on local needs.

In urban schools, telehealth reduces disruption. Students can be seen the same day, which helps manage chronic conditions, minor illnesses or emerging concerns without leaving school grounds. The result is continuity: Students stay in class, and families face fewer interruptions to work and daily routines.

In rural communities, where providers are fewer and distance impacts daily decisions, telehealth improves access. It shortens long drives, reduces missed work and helps families reach care that might otherwise be out of reach.

In both settings, schools become the most reliable point of connection, offering both the technology and the continuity families might otherwise lack. The deeper value of telehealth lies in what happens next. A school-based visit may address a need in the moment, but value-based care asks a longer question: What will this child and family need tomorrow?

That question increasingly includes behavioral health. Through Cone Health’s school-based telehealth program, students experiencing anxiety, depression or other behavioral health needs can now connect with a community care worker who helps coordinate sessions, support families and ensure care continues beyond the initial visit.

“Great value-based care means I took care of you today, but I’m already thinking about what you’ll need tomorrow,” says Danielle Swartz, vice president of population health and value-based care. “Our job is to see you, recognize what comes next and help connect you to it, so families don’t have to figure it out on their own.”

That forward-looking approach shifts care from reactive to preventive. When an issue identified at school signals a larger need, teams can step in — calling parents, coordinating follow-up or connecting a child back to primary care or additional services. The goal is to anticipate needs early and help families move forward without navigating the system alone.

A regional effort

The growth of school-based telehealth across the region has been driven by intentional, coordinated partnerships. Public funding approved by Guilford County commissioners helped move the model from a pilot to a community-wide effort. As the approach proved effective, donors rallied behind the work, including investments from the Truist, Weaver, Healthy High Point and Oak foundations. Partners such as United Way and Goodwill helped address workforce needs, ensuring the model could scale responsibly.

“As school-based telehealth expanded beyond Guilford County, it required a shift in perspective. What began as a local solution has increasingly become a regional strategy,” says Dr. John Jenkins, medical director for school-based care. “One designed to serve more schools, reach more families and respond to shared needs across county lines.” That shift reshaped how partners thought about leadership, philanthropy and responsibility, inviting communities to see the health of the region as a collective commitment.

“When I think about school-based telehealth now, we’re not talking about it just in Guilford — we’re talking about it as a regional strategy to support families,” says Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer Michelle Schneider. “People come to the table thinking about one community, but they walk away wanting it for every community. We didn’t have that before. Now we’re working as one.”

Maps tell one part of this story.

They show reach, scale and momentum. But the deeper story lives in what those points represent: fewer missed school days, earlier intervention and families who no longer have to choose between care and work. Across Guilford, Rockingham and Alamance counties, school-based telehealth has become a steady presence, woven into the rhythms of the school day and the lives that surround it.