WyTN December Newsletter

The Wyoming Telehealth Network newsletter is your source for information, resources and best practices in telehealth. We support healthcare entities, providers, and specialists through professional development, collaboration, and leveraging of telecommunications technology.

At A Glance...

Happy Holidays from WIND/WyTN
2021 Special Interest Group Achievements
UW Telehealth Course Development Survey
WyTN Webinar Survey
Community Health SIG Art Therapy
Opinion Article on Importance of Telehealth
Wyoming Telehealth Consortium
Special Interest Groups

One of the best things about the holidays

is the opportunity to express our gratitude

for your continued work to increase healthcare access in Wyoming.

May you have a beautiful holiday season and a happy New Year.

In Gratitude,

The Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) Staff

Wyoming Telehealth Network (WyTN)

Top 10 Achievements of

WyTN Special Interest Groups in 2021

1. Secured a Governor’s Proclamation during Telehealth Awareness Week

2. Continued to build relationship with the state’s largest hospitals, committees and other entities

3. Prioritized research to create a telehealth app for Wyoming patients for scheduling remote medical aid from Wyoming providers

4. Systematized communication and collaboration with healthcare professionals statewide

5. Highlighted providers who are doing innovative work in telehealth in their field

6. Approached $9 million in telehealth usage in Medicaid alone

7. Published opinion editorials and letters to the editor on the benefits of telehealth statewide during Telehealth Awareness Week

8. Continued to be at the forefront of planning in the Governor’s Healthcare Taskforce

9. Connected hospitals with one another to offer provider to provider and provider to patient telehealth

10. Expanded knowledge base to local school districts who are engaging in planning for School Based Health Care and telehealth through a partnership with the University of Wyoming ECHO in Student Health

University of Wyoming

Telehealth Course Development:

Provider Experiences Survey

The University of Wyoming is currently developing coursework to increase knowledge, skills and competencies in telepractice for pre-service students in Pharmacy, Social Work, Speech Language Pathology, Nursing and Kinesiology and Health. As a current practicing provider, we would like to know what knowledge, skills and experiences are most important for future providers.

Click Here to Complete the Telehealth Curriculum Survey

WyTN Webinar Survey

We want to know your thoughts! You can assist the Wyoming Telehealth Network as we continue to support your efforts by letting us know what you need most out of our services and programming.

Please take a few minutes to give your ideas by completing this survey.

It’s fast, it’s meaningful, and we will be so grateful that you did.

Click Here to Complete the WyTN Webinar Survey

Save The Date: Community Health SIG

Art Therapy Session

Join the Community Health Special Interest Group (SIG) as we begin to address the barriers and burnout in caregiving!

At the Wyoming Telehealth Network, we want to reduce barriers to your work in telehealth, not make things more complicated. That’s why we host monthly SIGs to improve collaboration, education and communication to foster telehealth growth. However, we’ve noticed that community health workers need more support than ever. The last couple of years has rocked the world and the healthcare industry.

We want to help you find restorative ways to prevent burnout during the pandemic. We know that art therapy is particularly effective during times of crisis, especially in coping with isolation, changes in circumstance, trauma and grief. The WyTN is hosting a special Community Health SIG on Friday, Februray 4th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm that will feature an art therapy session. This event is limited to 20 attendees and is totally free to community health workers. Please RSVP ashiple4@uwyo.edu if you’d like to attend. A Zoom link will be sent out to those who RSVP closer to the event date.

Friday, February 4, 2022

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Virtual (Zoom)

Cluck Here to Email Andrea to RSVP

Opinion Article: States Shouldn't Push Americans Off The Telehealth Cliff

"When the pandemic took hold in America, policymakers in Washington and governors across the country realized there was a dire and urgent need to reduce face-to-face medical interactions. As a result, the federal government and states across the country relaxed government rules and red tape to make telehealth more readily available, giving Americans faster and easier access to many forms of healthcare.

But with several of those states on the verge of sunsetting these regulation relaxations, and the federal reforms set to expire once the public health emergency ends, we’re now standing on the precipice of a “telehealth cliff.” That’s terrible news for any American seeking medical care — but it doesn’t have to be this way."

This opinion article written by Naomi Lopez on The Hill's website discusses the benefits of telehealth and why lawmakers should embrace and build upon reform.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Wyoming Telehealth Consortium

The Wyoming Telehealth Consortium is the central meeting space to discuss the programs, success/challenges, and discuss ideas on improving the use of telehealth in the state. The Consortium meets on the last Tuesday of every month, from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. Anyone interested in building telehealth is encouraged to attend.

No December Meeting

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

3:00pm - 4:30pm

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/371954998