DCPS told the I-TEAM they are taking several steps to keep schools safe, including preventative measures such as mental telehealth services offered through their partnership with Hazel Health.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things going forward, one of which is the way pet owners and veterinarians interact during visits.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Amid expanded use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, a House Republican on Wednesday filed a bill that would eliminate restrictions on prescribing controlled substances through telehealth. Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miramar, filed the proposal (HB 247) for consideration during the 2021 legislative session, which will start March 2. Telehealth generally involves using the internet and other technology to provide medical services remotely. Under current law, telehealth can be used to prescribe controlled substances only in limited circumstances, such as for treatment of psychiatric disorders, for treatment of hospice patients and for treatment of nursing-home residents. But the bill would eliminate the restrictions.

But members of the Florida Board of Medicine are grappling with whether it can be used by physicians for other purposes. The board considered the changes as the use of telehealth in the state of Florida has increased. For example, Florida Medicaid providers, once reticent to use telehealth, turned to the technology to care for patients as COVID-19 swept the state. Also, 192,038 Medicaid patients received telehealth services as of June 30, up from 23,616 at the end of 2019. “This is the future of medicine in the state of Florida,” Board of Medicine General Counsel Ed Telechea said at the Board of Medicine meeting where the issues were discussed.