Telehealth Awareness Week: Supporting the National Movement to Advance Virtual Care

In the wake of the unprecedented challenges our healthcare system has faced since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency, one message has become abundantly clear: Telehealth is Health. As national lockdowns threatened to restrict access to quality care for millions of patients, telehealth played a critical role in supporting the delivery of healthcare services. Let's Talk Interactive is proud to be part of a diverse coalition of individuals and organizations committed to advancing virtual care during the inaugural Telehealth Awareness Week presented by the American Telemedicine Association, taking place September 19-25.

Telehealth has been an important element in U.S. healthcare for decades, but the COVID-19 public health emergency has put a spotlight on the need to maintain and expand access to telehealth to ensure everyone can receive appropriate care when and where they need it. Following the unprecedented use of virtual care services in response to COVID-19, telehealth now represents 15 to 20% of care delivery, confirming the need to create a two-channel healthcare system that balances in-person and virtual care.

Over the course of the last 12 months alone, Let's Talk Interactive has taken steps to advance virtual care including:

• Developing custom telehealth solutions for medical and behavioral health professionals with everything they need to implement a telehealth infrastructure
• The ongoing expansion of our provider networks - including the development of custom networks for school systems to provide mental health care to students
• Building, integrating and maintaining secure, HIPAA compliant video platforms
• Educating our partners on how to leverage telehealth to make care accessible
• Advocating for the ongoing use of telehealth to make quality care available to all people

During Telehealth Awareness Week, Let's Talk Interactive is joining a range of stakeholders, including leaders in healthcare and patient advocacy, in highlighting the growing acceptance and value of virtual care. Through our collective efforts, we have a special opportunity to deliver new informational resources to support broader access to telehealth for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. We encourage everyone help us build telehealth awareness this September and amplify our most important message: Telehealth is Health!

To learn more about activities planned for Telehealth Awareness Week and opportunities to participate, visit the official Telehealth Awareness Week website here: TelehealthAwareness.org.