MILAM COUNTY, Texas — Residents and parents in Milam County knocked out something on their summer to-do list this weekend.
The Telehealth station housed at the Sheriff's Office met community needs in a different, but sporty way.
What was once brought to Milam County as an after-hours health care option, the Telehealth station, offered sports physicals over the weekend, just in time for fall sports.
Bonnie Acosta would normally have to drive out of the county to get sports physicals for her two girls.
"I thought of the idea because I know there is a lot of parents out there that can't get to appointments or where they need to be to get these done before school starts," Bonnie Acosta said. "I have never really used it. I have always taken them (her children) to their primary care physician. So this will be our first experience with the Telehealth Center."
This weekend, she took advantage of the Telehealth station located at the Milam County Sheriff's Office. The unique virtual set offered sports physicals for just 10 bucks.
"That's cheaper than my co-pay and I didn't have to travel to Temple to go get this," Bonnie Acosta, a Mother in Milam County said. "School is almost around the corner, there is probably a wait to get these physicals done... a lot of the kids still need them because everything starts tomorrow morning."
Perfect timing to make sure the county's kids are cleared for play, this service met community needs.
"We are going to be ruling out any type of heart conditions... respiratory conditions.... to make sure they are safe to go back to playing sports," Krystal Solie, a Family Nurse Practitioner with OnMed said.
While the Telehealth station can do most of the work, a team was brought in to screen for cardiac issues.
"Although we can't do everything via virtual Telehealth, that was the reason why we wanted to make this special trip today to service students of Milam County," Solie added.
Jennifer Ozmetin with Texas A&M Health says their team learned last week local families still needed sports physicals done, with sports and school quickly approaching, so they set out to be of service and utilize the Telehealth station at the same time.
"We brought in a team from OnMed to help with sports physicals this weekend. We were excited to come out and offer a fun weekend and an opportunity to take care of something these families really needed," Ozmetin, a Research Project Manager for Texas A&M University Health added.
Dependent on the weekend's turnout, organizers say they mat consider similar clinics in the future.
"At Texas A and M, we are interested in finding out how people like the station and how they like the technology and we hope this event would be an opportunity to educate people about the health station and let them know it is here, so if they have needs in the fall they can return with their families and have an easy option for healthcare," Ozmetin added. "We hope that it is well received and it becomes a convenient option for the residents of the Brazos Valley and Milam County."
"This is excellent for me because I am always busy during the week. Sometimes I can't get to those appointments. I did call... and it's way out. So this works out perfect," Bonnie Acosta shared on the convenience of using the Telehealth station Sunday.
The Telehealth station is open at the Milam County Sheriff's Office Monday through Saturday 7am until 11pm. You do not have to be a Milam County resident or have insurance to use the station. There is a flat rate of $45 dollars per visit.
"We are excited that this station is able to offer after-hours care when doctor's offices are closed," Ozmetin added.