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KEARNS — University of Utah Health has been doing virtual care, or telehealth, for about 25 years, mostly for patients who live far away from their campus and need the specialized care it provides as an academic center.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Nate Gladwell, senior director of virtual care at U. Health, said the health system realized telehealth can also help with other barriers, like needing to take a half day off work for a doctor appointment or finding someone to care for children during an appointment.
But Gladwell said not everyone has been able to access that care.
Now, that care will be available at the Kearns branch of the Salt Lake County Library System, 4275 W. 5345 South, which is opening a room designed for library patrons to reserve for scheduled telehealth visits.
"What we're trying to do is overcome the barriers that our patients historically have had in accessing health care by doing it in their own home — or in this situation, in their own community library," Gladwell said.
He said the library came up with the idea and reached out to U. Health. The rooms are set up with medical tools like a scale, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter and thermometer.
"We began to realize what an untapped secret this could be into helping our own patients have better information, be better instructed and connected within their own community as to how to improve their own health," he said.
Trish Hull, a manager at the Kearns library, said a library is a community hub, which can help the community access information — including information from doctors.
"It just kind of organically came together," she said.
Hull said this is likely the first room designed for this use in a Utah library, but there are some other libraries across the country that have had success with similar programs.
She said books will always be the library's brand, but libraries also help people sort through accurate and inaccurate information and provide a bridge across the digital divide. She said libraries are a comfortable space for people to come to get information while feeling secure.
"We're created, now, to be a community center. Books are still important and information is critical — and that will always be our ... important service that we provide. But we also want to meet the needs of our communities," she said.
She said the Kearns library has more patrons looking for Wi-Fi access than many others in the Salt Lake County Library System.
The telehealth service isn't just for people who don't have access to the internet or a webcam at home, Hull said, it can also help people who don't have a quiet or private room or could benefit from bringing children to a library while they speak with a doctor. She said patrons can come to the library room without telling friends or family they are speaking to a mental health professional or doctor.
People can schedule appointments at the Kearns library with any medical professional, not just visits with U. Health doctors. They encourage people to schedule the appointment with their doctor first, and then call the library to check for room availability.
Librarians are not in the room during appointments, but Hull said they can help people learn how to use the medical equipment in the room and make sure the video call is working properly. They will also sterilize the room between appointments.
Gladwell said doctors are excited for patients leaving a virtual appointment to have a source of information; they can ask questions about a doctor's instructions before they leave the library. He said studies show between 30% and 60% of information communicated by a physician is lost when a patient leaves the exam room, and librarians can help bridge that gap for virtual appointments.
The most common use for telehealth is follow-up appointments after surgery and mental health because they are primarily discussion-based, according to Gladwell. He said a majority of mental health visits at U. Health are now done remotely.
Once they gather information about what patients need from this Kearns library experiment, U. Heath plans to expand this program to other libraries.
