New Virtual Clinic Aids Trauma, Violence Survivors
A clinic developed by the Texas A&M Health Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing will help survivors of trauma and violence receive important follow-up care virtually. The Texas A&M Assessment and Care for Trauma Survivors (ACTS) Clinic connects patients with advanced practice registered nurses using telemedicine technology.
Operating in the Texas A&M University School of Nursing, the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing is a federally and state-funded initiative that was created in 2019 to advance forensic nursing education, outreach and research.
The ACTS Clinic, which is accepting patients immediately, serves Texas residents 18 and older who have experienced sexual assault. Using any connected device, patients communicate with providers in real time without having to visit a physical location. Nurse practitioners with expertise in forensic health care help patients with additional assessments, treatment plans, laboratory and radiology testing, and specialty referrals.
“We know that survivors of trauma and violence often don’t seek the follow-up care that is essential to their health and recovery,” said Dr. Stacey Mitchell, director of the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing and a clinical professor. “Their reasons are varied and valid, but our hope is that virtual appointments with specialized providers can help remove some of the barriers that come with coordinating this type of care. It’s vital we meet our patients where they are.”
The ACTS Clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners Dr. Denise Carlton and Meghan Martin. The Texas A&M School of Medicine’s Dr. Anna Lichorad serves as medical director.
The Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing is a leader in leveraging telemedicine to improve forensic health care. Its innovative Tex-TRAC program virtually connects rural hospitals and medical centers in Texas with sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) to provide expert forensic exams.
Patients can check provider availability and request an appointment with the ACTS Clinic at forensic-nursing.tamu.edu/actsclinic.
This article by Tim Gerszewski originally appeared on Vital Record.
