Innovative Telehealth Booth Brings Health Care Access to Local Libraries

Public Access Telehealth Spaces (PATHS), a project of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) at the University of Wyoming, is revolutionizing the way people access health care services.

WIND, an academic unit in UW’s College of Health Sciences, has collaborated with Amanda DeDiego, an associate professor of counseling in the College of Education, to open state-of-the-art telehealth booths in Goshen, Natrona and Park counties. The booths provide convenient and secure space for telehealth consultations, making quality health care more accessible than ever.

The PATHS initiative began by exploring ways to make health care more accessible and to address the potential stigma some experience in seeking care. PATHS creates connections between providers and communities to integrate and coordinate telehealth, addressing issues of equity and access to services and supports.

Rural and frontier areas of the state are some of the most difficult places to deliver consistent access to specialized and mental health care.

“We have been working for a long time to bring this vision to life, and we are so excited to finally share these resources with communities to make health care more accessible in Wyoming,” DeDiego says. “Our amazing community partners and library directors made this work possible. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication to equity in their communities.”

Wyoming residents may struggle with barriers to accessing care. Barriers can include rural locations with limited resources; the stigma of seeking some types of care, particularly mental health care; lack of safety; lack of adequate technology; and insufficient connectivity to participate in telehealth visits from home.

This project seeks to advance how health care is delivered across multiple settings while enhancing provider and patient digital literacy and overcoming broadband barriers to care. Also, the user-friendly interface makes it easy for patients and providers of varying degrees of technical backgrounds to navigate and connect with each other seamlessly.

The PATHS project is funded by a grant from the Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board, with additional support from the Wyoming Telehealth Network, UW’s College of Education Counselor Education Program, WIND and UW-Casper. Funding supported the purchase of sound-proof, secure booths that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, along with telehealth technology that ensures the highest standards of privacy and security to safeguard sensitive medical information.

To use a telehealth booth, people may contact the library location or locate online scheduling instructions via the state library website at https://library.wyo.gov/services/wyoming-residents/telehealth/.

“Expanding access to health care in a state with multiple barriers to care is challenging,” says Canyon Hardesty, an associate director at WIND. “By working with unique partners, we can increase access and create stigma-free, safe environments and accessible spaces with reliable broadband access in all communities.”

The Wyoming Telehealth Network is committed to leveraging technology to enhance the delivery of medical services. With a focus on innovation and accessibility, the network strives to make health care a seamless and inclusive experience for all.

About the UW College of Health Sciences

UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.