Telehealth Heroes

Wisconsin-native Dr. Gina Sprague-Connors discovered videoconferencing in high school when she took virtual Advanced Placement courses in preparation for college. Growing up in a rural area, Dr. Sprague-Connors could only access these types of educational opportunities online. She went on to complete her master's and doctorate degrees in psychology and is passionate about providing telemental healthcare in rural communities. In this episode she discusses the benefits of expanding telehealth services in rural areas. Dr. Connors-Sprague is a licensed psychologist with a private practice offering equine-assisted therapy.

Pittsburgh-area native Shawn Valenta, MHA, recalls visiting an incarcerated friend who spent years in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections system. When WellPath asked him to help lead their telehealth program, he jumped at the opportunity to increase access to medical and mental healthcare in jails, prisons and inpatient residential treatment programs. He talks about the opportunities and challenges of providing care to these vulnerable populations in an interview with doxy.me CEO and Co-Founder Brandon Welch. 

Dr. Mordechai Raskas is a pediatric emergency physician with expertise in telemedicine and informatics. He currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Telemedicine at PM Pediatrics. In this interview, Dr. Raskas talks about how his organization used telehealth to provide urgent care services to pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Until recently, it was widely accepted that when more people use healthcare services, costs inevitably go up. In his role as Administrator of Telehealth at the Medical University of South Carolina, Shawn Valenta, MHA, discovered that telehealth, when administered effectively, can improve healthcare quality and access while also decreasing costs. He shares his journey from respiratory therapist to telehealth leader in this interview.

Maria and her family were as prepared as they could be for the war, and evacuated to Western Ukraine quickly. After more than 50 days at war, she describes how she—and other Ukrainians—have learned to live their lives during the war.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, James decided he should help however he could. His decision would take him on a long and eventful journey into Ukraine, where his real challenges would begin.

Nikita has continued his work and his life while his wife serves as a medic in the Ukrainian armed forces. However, Nikita—alongside many other Russian-Ukrainians—is fighting a war of change within himself as he renounces his Russian side and begins to only embrace his Ukrainian heritage.

Kate Semenova lived 20 minutes from the Kiev airport. She was jolted awake by the bombs that fell on February 24, 2022, and her life was changed forever. With family in tow, she fled to Western Ukraine.

After the invasion began, Alexandra fled to western Ukraine with her son while her husband chose to stay behind in Kyiv. Tragically, the war only brought worse tidings when she lost her grandfather at the end of March.

Nikolay and his family waited a few days after the start of the war to watch how things would turn out. The plan backfired when the Russian military arrived in his backyard, sending Nikolay and his family into hiding for ten days.