Telepsychiatry is the use of electronic communication and information technologies to provide or support clinical psychiatric care at a distance. Telepsychiatry is appropriate in situations where on-site services are not available due to distance, location, time of day, or availability of resources.

It is defined as “the use of two-way real time-interactive audio and video to provide and support clinical psychiatric care at a distance. A recipient is referred by one provider to receive the services of another provider via telepsychiatry”.
It’s use is ideal for rural settings where professional services would not otherwise be readily available. This is the case in Madison County as there is very limited mental health services available to the community.

The health department in collaboration with MAHEC and Western Highlands is providing the space for telepsychiatry services. This service, which began in April 2009, is open to community mental health providers as well as area physicians and health care providers.

For more information, contact the Madison County Health Department
(828) 649-3531