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Telehealth’s Growing Reach

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, visits to doctor’s offices have slowed — and home visits via telehealth have skyrocketed nationally. As people struggle with anxiety and depression, mental health needs are one area being addressed.

Here in Northeast Ohio, Portage County residents using the Student-Run Free Clinic at NEOMED – recently named 2020 Free Clinic of the Year by the Charitable Healthcare Clinic – have been able to access counseling by phone or a video call. And NEOMED students can reach out to the Center for Student Wellness and Counseling Services without setting foot on campus.

Cindy Zelis, M.D., has watched telehealth come into its own since she graduated from NEOMED in 1996.

As chief medical officer of the telehealth company MDLIVE, she offers an insider’s look in “Telehealth’s Growth Spurt,” in the fall 2020 issue of Ignite, NEOMED’s human interest magazine.

“If you think about it, telemedicine is going back to the old-fashioned home visits in a new way,” says Dr. Zelis.

Read “Telehealth’s Growth Spurt.”