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Locals can be treated by specialists who are hundreds of miles away

69 views · Published 4 October 2017 · 2:06 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: East Idaho News · 2017 · News & Politics

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IDAHO FALLS – 

STAND UP – Patients who are here in east Idaho can get the help they need from Doctors who are hundreds of miles away:

SOT: “It gets expensive. It’s wear and tear on a car, it’s gas money,” Idaho Falls resident Shanna Nunez says.

VO: Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City is providing medical treatment for patients through telehealth clinics. These services are increasing orthopedic care for local children. 

SOT: “We live in a huge geographic area where people are pretty spread out and so there’s a few places that have specialized medical care and Salt Lake City’s one of them and we serve a catchment that includes Idaho and parts of Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado,” Orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Hospital Dr. Theresa Hennessey says.

VO: Through video technology specialists at Shriners Hospital are able to connect with patients and conduct a real-time appointment. 

SOT: “A family that lives four hours away to drive for what’s a five to ten minute visit is asking a lot of a family, it costs money, they have to take time off work,” Hennessey says. 

VO: Physicians assistant at Community Family Clinic Dr. Alan Adams works as a telehealth coordinator and assists doctors who are far away. He says in the surrounding area there isn’t much access to specialty orthopedic care for children. 

SOT: “It’s been successful because of the need in the area. Unfortunately in Idaho Falls and the surrounding area, there’s not a lot of access to pediatric orthopedic specialty care,” Adams says. 

VO: Parents like Shanna Nunez says one of her sons suffers from bilateral clubfoot. She and her family would have to frequently travel to Utah to see specialists. Now, she saves her family from a two-day trip. 

SOT: “I don’t have to pull them out of a whole day of school. I can get off work, pick them up, and come to the appointment it takes 45 minutes,” Nunez says. 

VO: In Idaho Falls, I’m Natalia Hepworth, EastIdahoNews.com

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