Rural patients struggle to access expert sexual assault exams. Telehealth services are closing that gap.

A rural Texas county is using a free digital platform to connect residents to mental health resources. Bastrop County's new public health department partnered with CredibleMind to launch an online hub offering mental health assessments, self-guided tools, and a local services directory in English and Spanish. In its first six months, the platform reached nearly 1,900 unique users and achieved a 43% assessment completion rate.

Anambra State’s telemedicine program is closing the healthcare access gap in rural communities, making universal health coverage more possible. The program began in 2022 and has since hired and trained 42 doctors in providing remote healthcare. As more people use the telemedicine program, public trust in primary healthcare across the region is increasing.

The Medeecal app increases healthcare access by providing a range of telehealth services including health education, free medical consultations, preventative care, referrals and follow-up care. As of March 2023, the app has over 1,000 registered patients and provides about eight consultations a day.

The JEAY Healthcare app connects students with quality healthcare regardless of their location. App users can schedule appointments, meet with doctors over the phone or video calls and access an online pharmacy. Since launching in February 2023, the app has had over 300 downloads and sees about 130 daily users.

The Mind Clinic is a virtual mental awareness and counseling initiative run by volunteers, including those who are trained and experienced professionally. The goal of the organization is to create a pipeline for university students seeking mental health help. Volunteers listen to those in need, primarily through WhatsApp, and then assist them in getting the necessary care.

Telehealth visits are helping residents in rural nursing homes to access mental health care. In areas where mental health care is scarce, companies like Encounter Telehealth are connecting patients with providers, serving more than 200 nursing homes and assisted living centers. Mental health professionals working with Encounter Telehealth complete up to 2,000 virtual visits a month.

Famasi is a digital medication management platform that obtains a patient’s medication history and creates an individual care plan. The care plan includes a specialist who tracks drug use and side effects and also ensures medication is delivered to patients’ doors on a monthly basis. Because Famasi is available on mobile apps, patients can also track their medications and appointments from the comfort of their homes, which increases medication access, especially for those who struggle to make it to in-person care centers.

Instead of calling 911, people experiencing a mental health crisis can contact new crisis response teams, like the Virtual Crisis Care program, to receive a visit from a mental health professional rather than a law enforcement officer. The service is free and the goal is to stabilize people at home instead of admitting them to a crowded psychiatric units or jailing them for behaviors stemming from mental illness.

She Writes Woman, provides safe spaces for those in need to receive mental healthcare services. As of this year, She Writes Woman receives about 200 calls on its toll-free helpline each day, serving a community of about 45,000 people.

Gillette, Wyoming is a small rural town that isn't connected to many resources, so that help for people who have experienced traumas can be difficult to access. With the implementation of the Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation, however, that isolation is decreasing. Through digital connections dubbed as telemedicine, trauma survivors are able to connect with therapists to receive support and counseling sessions.