Press Release: Let’s Talk Interactive Helps Schools Meet Soaring Need for Mental Health Services

Let’s Talk Interactive, a leading provider of customizable telehealth solutions, has provided more than 160 schools, colleges and education organizations across Florida and throughout the U.S. with technology that connects students with physicians, counselors and other healthcare providers.

As School-Based Health Care Awareness Month continues, Let’s Talk Interactive has developed systems that proactively identify at-risk students and link them to support services that address their needs. In some regions, a custom case management portal helps track students throughout their treatment and ensures the necessary roles–from parents, to providers and administrators–are notified throughout the program.

These support services are needed more than ever. Studies by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that the COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased rates of mental health issues in children and teenagers and amplified the need for counseling and support services.

Children diagnosed with the illness were nearly 30% more likely to develop a mental health condition, increasing the need for schools to provide counseling assistance, the agency found. Another federal study found emergency room visits in 2020 for mental health rose 24 percent among children and more than 30 percent for teenagers.

“At a time when we are more focused on than ever physical and mental needs of children, Let’s Talk Interactive is building on its track record of helping schools give students the healthcare access they need,” said Arthur Cooksey, founder and CEO of Let’s Talk Interactive.

In the wake of Hurricane Michael in 2020, Let’s Talk Interactive deployed telehealth kiosks and portals in schools in six counties in Florida’s Panhandle region. Working with regional health care organizations, Let’s Talk Interactive’s technology facilitated thousands of sessions for students who needed mental, acute and emergency care.

In 2021, Let’s Talk Interactive expanded that service with four more Panhandle counties, and Orange and Broward counties, two of Florida’s largest jurisdictions and expanded their school based services to other regions of the United States.

Let’s Talk Interactive’s telehealth platform fully complies with FERPA and HIPAA and provides licensed backup support network for school counselors and nurses, including speech and occupational therapists, licensed counselors and psychiatrists. To learn more about Let’s Talk Interactive, Inc., visit https://letstalkinteractive.com/.