Driving 50 miles or more through wintry conditions to get to a pharmacy is a risky challenge that for disabled and elderly people living in remote locations often isn’t possible. Washington State University pharmacy student Amanda Whitehead, part of the university’s Rural Health Initiative, is exploring the feasibility of setting up telehealth stations in rural fire stations to help bring many health care services to a location much closer.
Whitehead is currently laying the groundwork for what she hopes will become a network of remote telehealth stations in rural counties, such as Pend Oreille and Stevens County, Washington. She is interviewing with regional fire chiefs about the feasibility of the project in the region, where she and her family currently live.