Summary
Psychiatric fellows and residents at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville use videoconferencing to serve children and adult patients with mental illness who live in rural parts of the State. Children gain access to this care by visiting any of three local mental health centers (known as community service boards), whereas adults do so at local primary care and geriatric clinics. To facilitate the provision of care, the health system’s Center for Telehealth offers technical support and other tools and services to participating mental health centers and clinics. The program has enabled thousands of patients with mental illness to receive psychiatric care who otherwise likely would not have had access to such care, and has generated high levels of satisfaction among parents and adult participants.