Beginning today, Legacy Community Health is offering remote pediatric appointments, including for pediatric behavioral health, through Legacy’s new Virtual Pediatric Clinic. Specifically targeting new and existing patients ages 0-17 in the Houston area, the program will allow sick and well consultations for anyone who needs it, but from the comfort of home.

“Through the Virtual Pediatric Clinic, Legacy aims to eliminate the gap in care that many of our patients are experiencing at this time due to COVID-19,” says Dr. Jeanette Valdivieso, COO, Legacy Community Health. “Many people don’t want to leave the house, especially parents of children who are immunosuppressed or otherwise vulnerable. Through telehealth, Legacy will remain a safe place for wrap-around care, despite the pandemic.”

Therapy appointments are available to assist pediatric patients with anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Appointments are available in both English and Spanish. Pediatric patients of all ages will need access to either a smartphone or computer, which will allow them to communicate with Legacy’s licensed and professional counselors and therapists online via video chat.

“This is a difficult time for everyone, and that includes children,” says Dr. Melanie Melville, Medical Director of the Behavioral Health program at Legacy. “As we turn to social distancing to quell the spread of this unprecedented virus, we at Legacy want to proactively work to ensure that our most vulnerable populations have continued access to equitable care – including behavioral health care for children.”

Appointments are available for both existing Legacy patients and new patients. During this period of utilizing telehealth, existing patients – both those who were seen in Legacy’s standalone clinics and those who were seen in schools – can still book appointments with the providers whom they know and trust.

“The crux of our school based health care program has always been to keep students healthy and relieve the burden of a clinic visit from the parents’ shoulders,” says Dr. Teandra Gordon, the Clinical Director of School Based Behavioral Health program at Legacy. “By now offering these services via telehealth while students don’t have access to their campus clinics, our goal is to continue that warm-hug feeling of wrap-around care that the students – and parents – have come to know and trust from Legacy.”

Legacy accepts most HMOs/PPOs, Medicaid and CHIP. Legacy also utilizes a sliding scale fee to lower the cost of services for uninsured patients.