KAXE reports…

For some Deer River students, seeing the doctor means a full day out of school.

“Most of it is transportation and getting up to Cass Lake for an appointment, if they have one,” explained district employee Susan Nelson. “And that can be an all-day affair. You’re 60 miles up and 60 miles down.”

The Deer River Public Schools district overlaps with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation, including the communities of Ball Club and Inger, and Nelson said almost of half of Deer River students are Native American. Many are covered by the Indian Health Service, meaning getting care can present a significant travel burden.

There’s an Essentia Health clinic and hospital just a mile from Deer River High School, which can make appointments easy for some families. But even then, parents and guardians still have to take time away from work to get their kids to appointments — another barrier to health care.

A new program is trying to address those challenges with just an iPad and a quiet room.

Deer River launched its telehealth program with help from Essentia in October. Nelson is the project manager.

The process itself is pretty straightforward. On the iPad, Nelson has set up video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom and health care programs like MyChart.

If a student has an appointment, they log in on the iPad, which they can connect to a TV if they’d like. Then Nelson steps out of the room — which is also her office — until they’re done.