Giving Compass' Take:

• Telehealth providers are offering free services to communities affected by Hurricane Florence and individuals can access those services through an app. 

• What other technological advances are helping victims of natural disasters? 

• Read the Giving Compass Disaster Relief and Recovery Magazine and learn about what donors can do to help. 

As Hurricane Florence barrels toward the coast of the Carolinas, telehealth providers, including American Well, Teladoc Health, Doctor on Demand, MDLIVE, and many other organizations, including insurance companies, are reaching out to affected communities, offering free access to their services for those who may not be able to access their normal healthcare providers during and after the storm.

This humanitarian effort is a recent phenomenon enabled by evolving technology. It also adds a critically useful element to the household disaster preparedness toolkit: a telehealth app.

It offers access to care when patients and community members need it most, building engagement and satisfaction, and perhaps presenting an opportunity to reach new consumers.

Nemours Children's Health System discovered the power of telehealth this time last year when Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Calls to Nemours CareConnect, the system's 24/7 direct-to-consumer app, increased by 2,000% over the same period the previous year. Busiest times? The days before and after the storm.

After analyzing the experience, post-hurricane, Nemours identified one significant opportunity for improvement: access to prescription drugs. While the hospital worked with a few key pharmacies to stay open, the same issues that prevented parents from getting to physicians'' offices, made it difficult to get medication. Road conditions limited driving, and many pharmacies were closed.

"The lesson that we learned here is that if your child has chronic illness, you need to refill your medications as part of your disaster preparedness plan," says Boezem. "Also, download the app and learn to use it before the storm hits so that you're comfortable using it when the time comes."

Technology offers new ways for health systems to meet the needs of their communities during natural disasters, and telehealth is moving center stage as the go-to resource.

Read the full article about telehealth by Mandy Roth at HealthLeaders