Seminole State College launched a telemedicine program for students and employees on Sept. 1. The College’s Board of Regents approved an agreement with SwiftMD on Aug. 26, based on recommendation from campus administrators. The agreement with SwiftMD was purchased through a consortium of Oklahoma two-year colleges.

“We are excited about our partnership with Seminole State College, and we appreciate all of the institution’s support as we get underway with the SwiftMD program for the campus community,” SwiftMD Account Manager Cindy Canova said.

Students enrolled in at least five hours at the College and employees currently receiving health benefits have access to physicians and counselors for medical and mental health care over the phone or videoconference at no cost to the individual. Through telemedicine, doctors are able to treat common illnesses, including conditions such as allergies, rashes, fever, flu, sinusitis (“pink eye”), upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections and upset stomach.

After consultation, recommendations may be made for treatment and, when appropriate, doctors will prescribe medications. Students and employees can avoid unnecessary visits to the ER and Urgent Care or long waits for appointments at doctors’ offices. There is no co-pay and no cost assessed through the program.

To utilize the service, students and employees must enroll in SwiftMD’s telemedicine program. Emails detailing the process were sent to campus earlier this week.

“We believe this is a great service to provide to our students and employees – one that will save money and help ensure better health for everyone,” President Lana Reynolds said. “We want to ensure students have access to healthcare, including behavioral health services, whenever they need it.”