Arizona Tribune - As Superintendents Return to Office, Avel eCare Highlights the School Health Gap Facing Districts Nationwide

SIOUX FALLS, SD / ACCESS Newswire / July 14, 2026 / As superintendents and administrators return to their offices to prepare for the coming school year, many are once again confronting a persistent and often under-discussed problem: the majority of schools do not have consistent access to a school nurse. In their absence, office staff, teachers, and administrators are frequently left to manage health situations they are not trained or equipped to handle.

Avel eCare, the Virtual Health System that has set the national standard for virtual care delivery since 1993, is helping districts close this gap by connecting school staff directly to experienced, licensed nurses in real time - giving students timely care, giving staff clinical support, and keeping classrooms running.

"There's always a challenge to afford a nurse, and a challenge for educators to even recognize what a school nurse does and why the role matters," said Sheila Freed, BSN, RN, NCSN, Director of School Health at Avel eCare, a nationally certified school nurse and 2015 Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow who spent years as a building school nurse before joining Avel eCare. "That hasn't changed. What has changed is that kids are coming to school with more chronic conditions than ever before. And when you need a nurse, you need one now."

A System Built to Extend, Not Replace, School Staff

Avel's school health service line assigns each building a dedicated, on-demand nurse, reachable in as little as one minute through a HIPAA-compliant device that allows for true clinical assessment - listening to heart and lung sounds, examining a rash or laceration, checking pupils - not simply a video call.

"It's not a FaceTime visit. It's a true assessment," Freed said. "We give parents and school staff the guidance they need to know whether a child should stay in school or needs to be picked up, and that changes everything for families."

The impact extends well beyond the exam room. One school district Avel partnered with saw chronic absenteeism drop by double digits after implementing the program.

Closing the Gap Before the School Year Begins

For districts still weighing how to staff school health for the coming year, Freed said now is the time to act. "This is the time of year when districts start thinking about who is going to fill that role," she said. "The question is how to get all-day access to a nurse in a cost-effective way - someone to handle immunization review, care plans, and the follow-up work that frees up school staff to do what they're there to do."

Districts interested in learning more about Avel eCare's School Health program can visit www.avelecare.com.

About Avel eCare

Founded in 1993 as the nation's first virtual hospital, Avel eCare provides virtual emergency, EMS, critical care, pharmacy, clinic, senior care, and behavioral health services to healthcare partners across the U.S. The organization specializes in expanding access, improving outcomes, and supporting care delivery in rural and underserved communities.

Contact:

Jessica Gaikowski, Director of Marketing & Communications [email protected] | 605.606.0150

SOURCE: Avel eCare

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

J.Gomez--AT