Greenhorn Library telehealth program provides a 'lifeline' to rural Pueblo County residents
When you are sick, getting to the doctor can be a challenge, but it is downright torturous for those who live in a rural mountainous area more than a half-hour's drive from a health care provider.
Now, residents of Rye and Colorado City have a means to access telehealth services to avoid that drive to Pueblo. Perhaps surprisingly, that service is offered through the Greenhorn Library branch, 4801 Cibola Drive, in Colorado City.
The Pueblo City-County Library District is taking part in the state's new Connect to Health at Your Library program, which gives their rural patrons everything from broadband connectivity to essential equipment and links to health professionals so they have an easier time getting care.
"We've been kicking around doing something like this since COVID when telehealth kind of blew up and we really saw the need for it," said Nick Potter, director of community relations and development for the library district. "We did not really have the bandwidth to start this from scratch."
Enter members of the Colorado State Library and the Lieutenant Governor's office of eHealth Innovations, who got together and formed a state entity, landed some grant funds and launched the telehealth program. A total of eight libraries throughout the state are participating in the pilot program.
"They really saw libraries as these great places to provide these telehealth services, especially to rural communities. Through a statistical analysis, they saw that access to healthcare in the Greenhorn area is very limited and being able to access physician care meant you had between a 30 to 45 minute drive from Rye or Colorado City into Pueblo," Potter explained.
How does the telehealth program work in Pueblo County?
"We've been able to roll four kits out for under $18,000 with everything inside them. The kit is really cool with a laptop, a secondary monitor, an external camera, ring light, headset, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter and thermometer, so they have more than everything they need for an acute care or primary care physician meeting," Potter explained.
The kits even contain a hot spot to provide Wi-Fi service, so patrons can do a telehealth visit at home, or they can book a meeting room at the library and do the telehealth consultation there.
"Our internet access there is at a premium. That is a lifeline for them," Potter explained.
On the first day the program launched this week, one kit was immediately checked out and another was booked. Patrons can visit the library's website to view a video on how the kit is set up.
Currently, patrons can consult with their own physicians, but soon, those who do not have a primary doctor can connect with a Health Solutions physician who is accepting new patients.
Services available through the library's telehealth initiative also include health education and counseling, mental health support, chronic disease management, minor acute care, family planning, nutrition counseling, pediatric care advice and more.
“Access to healthcare and health information is a critical aspect of a person's physical and mental health and well-being. The public library remains at the crossroads of needs for information and services, so we are proud to do this work and provide a meaningful addition to library offerings,” said Sherri Baca, library district director.
Once a kit is used, the computer's cyber security safety system wipes clean all downloaded information to preserve patient privacy, Potter said.
To reserve a telehealth kit or find out more, go to pueblolibrary.org/Telehealth. Hours at the Greenhorn Library are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: New telehealth program in Pueblo library district helps rural Coloradans
