Georgia Charitable Care Network Publishes Telehealth Guide for Free Clinics

ATLANTA - Sept. 17, 2021 - PRLog -- The Georgia Charitable Care Network (GCCN) this week released "Telehealth in the Free and Charitable Clinic Sector 2021," a groundbreaking guide to telehealth for the nation's 1400+ free and charitable clinics.

Authored by 15-year Family Nurse Practitioner Meredith Schanda, the report takes a deep dive into telehealth best practices, detailing both the nature and potential of telehealth as well as pros and cons of the different types available. It also provides guidance on telehealth equipment acquisition, data collection, and keeping staff appropriately engaged with patients.

"The COVID-19 outbreak last year put an unbelievable strain on free and charity clinics," said GCCN Executive Director Donna Looper. "They were struggling for ways to keep patients cared for and everyone safe, and telehealth was the obvious solution. Efficiently and effectively implementing telehealth systems that work smoothly, however, has presented challenges, especially for smaller, rural clinics run primarily by volunteers."

Maximizing the use of available resources to serve the greatest patient number is critical, Looper continued, but with careful coordination, clinics can leverage telehealth to provide better patient care - not just more.

The report was made possible by funding from Americares and the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Recovery and Response Fund, a partnership of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta. It is freely available to the public in a digital format.

For more information on GCCN or to access "Telehealth in the Free and Charitable Clinic Sector 2021," please visit http://www.CharitableCareNetwork.org.

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About the Georgia Charitable Care Network
The Georgia Charitable Care Network (GCCN) exists to strengthen the capacity of free and charity clinics and support their efforts to serve vulnerable populations. GCCN works to improve patients' access to quality health care and is a vital support system and advocate for the state's charitable health care providers. The GCCN mission is to build collaborative partnerships that will assist in the delivery of compassionate health care to low-income Georgians. The organization's goals are to unify providers serving vulnerable populations through advocacy, education, and collaborations; strengthen Georgia's safety net; and assist in the development of services in areas of the high unmet need. Currently, GCCN serves the free and charitable clinics across all regions and demographics of Georgia.