When Carl Sandburg College issued a survey to students asking if access to health care had prevented them from being successful academically, the results were clear. Of those who responded, 11 percent said challenges in access to medical care was an obstacle to their success, and 17 percent said lack of access to mental health care was a limiting factor.
“We knew based on that data that there was a need, because if you only are looking at the students who responded, you know that there are more out there,” said Autumn Scott, associate vice president of academic and student planning. “So we really wanted to try to find a way to respond to those needs.”
Sandburg’s answer was to partner with TimelyCare, which offers around-theclock telehealth services in medical health, mental health and emotional support. The College started offering free assistance through TimelyCare to students as well as Sandburg employees in the 2021-22 academic year. Sandburg used COVID-19 relief dollars from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund as part of the CARES Act to cover the cost of the service.
While Sandburg has provided free personal counseling to students for many years, TimelyCare allows users an avenue to receive assistance remotely and even after hours. Patients can schedule an appointment with a professional ahead of time or use an on-demand option that’s available 24/7 to connect them with someone in a matter of minutes.
“We wanted to make sure that we had services that would allow students to access them from anywhere at any time,” Scott said. “We know that COVID has changed how often people come to campus, how they access services and maybe even what their schedule looks like.”
TimelyCare also offers self-care sessions that feature meditation, yoga and workshops on specific topics, and it has a feature to assist users in helping find resources in their area such as food, housing, transportation and child care. Patients can even search profiles of health providers to find one that best fits their background and needs, including language, race, gender and sexual orientation.
“This was a way for us to also diversify the provider access because we know that when you’re going to talk to someone about counseling-based issues, you typically want to speak with someone who can identify with what you’re going through,” Scott said.
The early returns have been strikingly positive. Sandburg users gave TimelyCare an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 in surveys following their sessions, and Scott has had students tell her their provider reached out to them following their appointment to see if they had any other questions or needs. It’s been one way to help students alleviate the pressures that often are associated with attending college as well as the challenges of adjusting to a post-pandemic way of life.
“The need has been there. I think COVID really helped us uncover it and identify it,” Scott said. “It added an enormous amount of stress because no matter what a person’s circumstances were over the last two years, you can’t deny that there’s been rapid change and a lot of uncertainty. Everyone’s world got flipped upside down. Along with that comes the need to try to get people support so that they can react to this new normal.”
Read this story and more in the 2022 edition of the Sandburg Magazine