The James Prendergast Library will be installing a telehealth service pod by end of August. Library Executive Director Annie Green said it will be used for virtual health appointments with healthcare professionals, “It was developed by the Western New York Library Resources Council, which is also known as WNYLRC. And it is grant funded through the National Library of Medicine. The team responsible at WNYLRC for creating the project is Heidi Zimmer, who is the Outreach and Digital Services Coordinator, and Olivia Helser, who is the Coordinator of the Hospital Library Services program.”
Green said only the library patron will be using the enclosed pod, “Typically, the patrons are using this for follow-up care. For example, maybe they had a surgery and they need a post-op check-up or maybe perhaps maybe they have a mental health counseling session. The patients won’t be coming to the library if they are ill, if they need to see a physician, that’s not the purpose of the telehealth space.”
Green added the Prendergast Library is one of two pilots for this project in Western New York with the other one being the Buffalo-Erie County Public Library.
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