HONORING OUR DONORS
V I R G I N I A
G L A S S
TMH Carelink Telemedicine Network Virginia’s gift to the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation provided five telemedicine units that have been used in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and to help in the response to COVID-19. This is a Q&A with Virginia and Lauren Faison-Clark, administrator for Regional Development, Population Health and Telemedicine:
Lauren, how is telemedicine helping to save lives during COVID-19?
Virginia, why was this gift meaningful for you?
Virginia, what motivates your giving and service?
I had a great nephew who was born premature, and I remember the anxieties his parents experienced. When Lauren demonstrated the equipment, I had a flashback to my great nephew, who is now a freshman in high school and very healthy. I thought, we need to step up and buy these.
Lauren, how does this technology work in the NICU? If your baby is in the NICU for a month, you can’t be there 24/7. Parents have to go back to work, or they have other children they’re caring for. This is a tablet with a webcam and secure video conferencing. Parents can log in to see their baby and communicate with the nurse or doctor.
With the need to keep people isolated, telemedicine is the perfect tool to protect both patients and healthcare providers. People can see their doctor from their home, which reduces the risk of potential exposure for everyone.
I keep saying that I’m going to slow down one day, but as long as I’m healthy, needed and wanted, I’m going to continue to try to make a difference. Service is the price we pay for the space we occupy on this earth. Scripture tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive.
“Just listen to the needs. They’re all around us.” You r gift to th e TMH Fou n datio n supports TMH Carelink, our telemedicine network, which is saving lives in the response to COVID-19. Give today at TMH.ORG/Giving or call 850-431-5698.