Center for Healthy Living moves to full-time telehealth care due to COVID-19

To maintain the health and safety of Purdue students, staff and faculty -- and to support the public health response of the community to the COVID-19 crisis -- the Center for Healthy Living (CHL) on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus has moved to full-time telehealth services, effective today (March 20) and will remain as such until further notice.

Beginning today, no in-person appointments will be available for:

• Medical appointments – well and sick visits.
• Health coaching.
• Employee assistance counseling.
• Lab work.

“After much discussion and review of best practices recently implemented by surrounding medical facilities for outpatient services, we have made the decision to move care solely to telehealth services during this public health crisis,” says Jen Hodges, executive vice president of operations at CHL. “Offering telehealth services is the most efficient way for us to be able to continue to assist patients, fill necessary maintenance meds and treat as many acute patients as we can without exposing others."

CHL staff will continue to report to CHL during normal operating hours – 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays -- which allows patient calls to be triaged and moved to the appropriate staff member for assistance. Providers will address any concerns they can via telephone, including screening those who present with flu-like symptoms. Referrals will be made for further evaluation and testing as necessary.

“As we go through this experience with the rest of the world, we continue to learn almost by the minute new things about the spread of COVID-19,” says Candace Shaffer, director of benefits in Human Resources. “We support and appreciate the difficult decision made by those at the CHL to try to protect as many employees and CHL staff members from the virus as possible through telehealth care. As decisions are made, the CHL and the entire University continue to monitor and follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.”

For questions or to schedule a phone appointment with a provider, call CHL at 765-494-0111.

For assistance after hours or on weekends, contact the Anthem NurseLine at 800-224-0336 or visit LiveHealthOnline for a virtual appointment; both services are available 24/7.