To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of our children and their families, we implore you to approve Telehealth as a reimbursable service delivery model for EarlySteps’ early intervention services.  Telehealth is an evidence-based service delivery model which can be used to remove barriers in providing early intervention services to children in Louisiana. Telehealth reinforces parents’ ability to foster their child’s development by allowing therapy to occur in the child’s natural environment, a key tenant of early intervention. Recent studies have shown that coaching behaviors are actually enhanced in Telehealth sessions because the therapist is not physically present in the home, requiring caregiver participation, another key tenant of early intervention.  Because of Telehealth’s proven benefits, many states already allow Telehealth in their early intervention programs. All national therapy associations (Occupational, Physical and Speech) recognize and approve the Telehealth service delivery model.
 
COVID-19 necessitates enacting Telehealth immediately to ensure medically fragile children continue to receive services and avoid transferring the virus amongst that population. Telehealth would also allow therapists to stay home with their families, including children who are now out of school, many with nowhere to go. There are thousands of children currently enrolled in the EarlySteps program, requiring many therapists to travel between cities and parishes.  Telehealth eliminates this travel. Many infants and toddlers may go without services as this crisis progresses, creating an immediate need for an alternative method for providing early intervention therapy.
 
Please approve Telehealth as a reimbursable service for early intervention.