New York must maintain telehealth as a permanent, viable option for service delivery in our state beyond the COVID-19 state of emergency. The pandemic has revealed a great deal of inequity in how we serve the children of New York on many levels. What telehealth has provided, however , is greater access for our bilingual families to receive care from a clinician who speaks their language, can work closely with the families, and can help these children succeed in ways that were not possible in many instances due to distance. Distance is no longer an issue. It is paramount we continue to serve the families via telehealth, so we can provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to these children. Furthermore, we can reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our most vulnerable communities by using telehealth as a service delivery method.

The research has shown that telehealth is just as effective for many families as face to face sessions. In fact, for the Early Intervention model, which can prevent further speech and language difficulties in the future for many children,  it is more aligned with the family coaching model that is utilized in Early Intervention. We are truly working with the whole family and helping carry over these skills to day to day interactions.

We must keep telehealth as an option for these children PERMANENTLY in our state, beyond the state of emergency. This would involve having Medicaid accept this as a service delivery method, so parents can choose the appropriate provider not solely based on proximity, keep their families safe from illness, and help keep our therapists safe.