Kennedy Krieger Institute Receives Nearly $1 Million Grant to Expand and Improve Access to Telehealth Services

BALTIMORE, May 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennedy Krieger Institute, internationally known for providing a wide range of services for children, adolescents and adults with diseases, disorders or injuries that impact the nervous system, recently received a grant of $994,950 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand and improve access to its telehealth services.

Kennedy Krieger will use the funds to expand and build on its prior telehealth delivery experience with military and other families to allow it to continue to deliver its patient care and remote patient monitoring services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. Specifically, the funds will allow Kennedy Krieger to address the disparities in access to telehealth services for vulnerable and high-risk children, adolescents and adults with disabilities that many of its patients face, which can be attributed to a lack of sufficient connectivity services and limited access to current technology. This expansion will allow these families access to a wide range of healthcare services and interface with their Kennedy Krieger clinical providers via secure, two-way video sessions.

"This substantial grant from the FCC will help us break-down technology barriers to care by not only helping Kennedy Krieger outfit our clinical and medical providers with the technology they need to provide telehealth care, but also allow us to provide patient families the technology they need in their homes to access care, especially families who are geographically separated and members of underserved communities," said Bradley L. Schlaggar, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger. "This grant will help us reduce health disparities and provide more children and families access to critically needed services."

Additionally, the funds will provide Kennedy Krieger with the tools for remote administration of online assessments to document initial functioning and monitor progress. Validated online tools are required to ensure the validity of the testing outcomes in a telehealth environment.

As the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent, Kennedy Krieger's telehealth team immediately activated to expand and customize their telehealth delivery solutions to ensure continuity of care for the Institute's patients and students—many with unique and medically complex conditions. Since March 15, 2020, Kennedy Krieger has supported an average of more than 1,000 telehealth appointments per day.

About Kennedy Krieger Institute: 
Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally known, non-profit organization located in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region, transforms the lives of more than 25,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient medical, behavioral health and wellness therapies, home and community services, school-based programs, training and education for professionals and advocacy. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children, adolescents and adults with diseases, disorders or injuries that impact the nervous system, ranging from mild to severe. The Institute is home to a team of investigators who contribute to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneer new interventions and methods of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Visit KennedyKrieger.org for more information about Kennedy Krieger.    

MEDIA CONTACT:    
Jamie Watt Arnold
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SOURCE Kennedy Krieger Institute

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https://www.kennedykrieger.org