By Thonnia Lee
Tuskegee University has partnered with Virtual Health company OnMed to deploy a custom OnMed Care Station on campus. The Tuskegee OnMed Care Station allows Tuskegee students, faculty, and staff to have extended access to most Primary Care services and elevates the university’s commitment to enhancing the student experience through extended access to quality healthcare and complements their current student health center service.
Tuskegee’s investment in the OnMed Virtual Care Platform is consistent with the goals and objectives of the university’s strategic plan. In addition, through Tuskegee’s leadership of the Center for Rural Health and Economic Equity, the OnMed Care Station will be available at no cost to the citizens of the community and Macon County.
“Tuskegee University has a long history of bringing trusted healthcare to rural spaces in the state of Alabama and worldwide,” said President Dr. Charlotte P. Morris. “Hosting the very first OnMed Care Station in the state of Alabama is another affirmative step that Tuskegee University has taken to build on our community and strategic partnerships by providing healthcare after hours and on weekends for students and residents of Tuskegee. We hope this pilot station will extend across the Alabama black belt counties and provide healthcare services for even more residents.”
The Tuskegee University OnMed Care Station features a fully customized Tuskegee University branded exterior located in the atrium of the Margaret Murray Washington Hall building just inside the Lincoln gates at the campus entrance. Students, faculty, and staff, along with the general public, can access the Care Station, providing patients with a quality health care option along with the regular daytime hours of the Student Health Center. OnMed clinicians work with the University Health Center to coordinate necessary follow-up or extended care required. OnMed clinicians can prescribe medications via e-prescriptions at the time of visit to the local pharmacy.
With regards to OnMed’s partnership with Tuskegee University, Tom Vanderheyden, CEO of OnMed, said, “We couldn’t be more excited and prouder of our partnership with Tuskegee University. They represent the best reflection of our mission and purpose and certainly the quality of partners we aspire to have. We are committed to working with the leadership of Tuskegee and their broader constituents to advance the core tenets of access and affordability across the region and the country, and to deliver a valued health care experience to their students, faculty, and staff.”
