Data-driven digital primary care system K Health has partnered with Baltimore City Public Schools to provide free remote health services to 80,000 students and their families through an app called K For Parents. The service was created to alleviate the stress of families with limited access to healthcare, which has increased heavily since the onset of the pandemic last year.
According to a survey conducted by the Baltimore City Public Schools in the summer of 2020, 74 percent of parents noted that, while their kids’ healthcare is a top priority for them, complications arising from COVID-19 have prevented many from seeking medical care. With K For Parents, if a student aged 3 to 17 is feeling ill, parents can load symptoms into the app to access information, a doctor, a treatment plan and even, if necessary, a prescription. Health insurance is not required to utilize the service.
“I joined K Health because I saw an opportunity to administer care in a new way,” says Dr. David Shafran of the Cleveland Clinic, a lead pediatrician for K Health. “With this partnership in Baltimore, parents get care for their children for free and from their smartphone, something that’s needed now more than ever.” The service is available 24/7 and includes a free symptom checker. Kids get unlimited pediatric care with an adult membership of $9 per month, while one-time visits cost only $19.
Related: How a custom app kept a district open during COVID
Apps are fast becoming an efficient way to manage various aspects of the effects of the pandemic to students and their families. Earlier this year, two educators in Dallas released iDismiss, an app to help make school dismissals a smoother process in one Texas district after a student there was hit by a car. The process entails a number being assigned to parents, which is displayed on their windshield, checked in by a school staff member and reported to the teacher, followed by another staff member verifying the student’s identity in the app before releasing him or her to the vehicle. In March, a web-based version of the app was released to be available for use on all devices.
