Chelsea Paulus, owner of Connect Speech Therapy in Sheridan, was the winner of the 2025 Dr. James Bush Award for Excellence in Telehealth. Paulus is the fourth recipient of the award, established in 2022 to recognize a telehealth champion in Wyoming who has accomplished outstanding work in the field of telehealth. (Terri Wolford Photo)
Wyoming’s fifth annual Telehealth Awareness Week was held recently to recognize the
role of telehealth in modern health care; educate providers and consumers about available
resources; and support the ongoing implementation of telehealth across Wyoming.
To celebrate, the Wyoming Telehealth Network (WyTN) launched a social media campaign
to highlight telehealth practice in Wyoming. Thank-you notes were sent to top telehealth
providers and Wyoming Telehealth Consortium members to recognize their important contributions
to advancing telehealth. Additionally, WyTN hosted a webinar discussing the Public
Access Telehealth Spaces Project, which aims to establish telehealth access points
in community spaces.
WyTN is a collaboration between the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND), an
academic unit in the University of Wyoming’s College of Health Sciences, and health
care advocates across the state.
“We can see the beneficial impact of telehealth on both providers and patients,” says
Kristen Glennie, a project coordinator senior with WyTN. “Now, we need to work together
to connect dots and expand access to health care for everyone.”
As part of the recent Telehealth Awareness Week, WyTN recognized Chelsea Paulus, owner
of Connect Speech Therapy in Sheridan, as the winner of the Dr. James Bush Award for
Excellence in Telehealth. Paulus is the fourth recipient of the award, established
in 2022 to recognize a telehealth champion in Wyoming who has accomplished outstanding
work in the field of telehealth. Her work to not only expand speech language pathology
services in Wyoming and Montana, but also advocate for telehealth in school districts,
embodies the spirit of the award.
One of Paulus’s nominators, Amy Peterson, an assistant professor with the UW Division
of Communication Disorders, commended “Chelsea’s strong desire to improve speech language
services for people in our state,” noting her commitment to growing her practice and
telehealth advocacy on the Wyoming Speech-Language-Hearing Association board.
In support of providers currently offering telehealth services and to encourage continued
growth, Gov. Mark Gordon signed a proclamation formally recognizing Wyoming’s fifth
annual Telehealth Awareness Week.
A 2023 report from the Health Resources and Service Administration found 124,000 Wyomingites
live in a primary-care Healthcare Provider Shortage Area (HPSA), while the entire
state is considered an HPSA for mental health services. Beyond workforce shortages,
Wyoming’s expansive geography, inclement weather and limited access to public transportation
all create barriers that reduce people’s ability to access care.
Telehealth is an essential tool for addressing these challenges. It allows even the
most rural patients to check in with their primary care providers, meet with specialists
or consult with mental health professionals from the comfort of their own homes or
local clinics. A 2024 study among Wyoming Medicaid recipients found that, when available,
telehealth is both acceptable and effective.
“The College of Health Sciences is proud to partner with the Wyoming Telehealth Network
in advancing innovative solutions that improve access to care across our state. Telehealth
exemplifies our college’s mission to serve Wyoming’s rural and frontier communities
by connecting patients, providers and students through technology and collaboration,”
says Patrick Hardigan, dean of the College of Health Sciences. “I want to recognize
Kristen Glennie and our Health Sciences faculty and staff who continue to expand telehealth
education, practice and research. Their work demonstrates how the college is leading
the way in building a more connected and equitable health care system for Wyoming.”
Contracting with the Wyoming Department of Health, the network is committed to promoting telehealth to address many of the rural health care challenges faced across the state. WyTN provides information and resources to patients and providers, secure Zoom access, educational opportunities, monthly webinars and help with technology and telehealth best practices. For more information, visit www.wyomingtelehealth.org.
