- November 19, 2020
- Jennifer Salerno
With COVID-19 cases once again on the rise, health engagement with youth is changing. Dealing with risk factors that can derail students’ health and educational success, like unprotected sex and substance use, is leading health professionals to look for innovative ways to continue providing services from a distance. And for many, those innovations may be the perfect opportunity to boost youth engagement.
Leveraging technology, like Adolescent Counseling Technologies (ACT), can help professionals maintain and enhance youth engagement and risk coaching—something that is even more important now when youth may not be having appointments in person. Marrying technology and science, ACT are interactive, evidence-based behavioral health interventions delivered via a virtual health educator. On a tablet, smartphone or other internet-connected technology, youth respond to a set of questions that identify risk factors and participate in tailored counseling for safer sexual behaviors or decreased nicotine or tobacco use. This cutting-edge approach to technology-based assessment and coaching dynamically embeds the core principals of digital empathy—such as concern and caring for others expressed through computer-mediated communications—into the youth experience.
Providing this personalized user experience encourages youth honesty and participation, allowing professionals to identify needs and provide resources and support for care management. Designed to be delivered in person or virtually by both clinical and non-clinical settings (e.g., in schools, physician offices, or youth-serving organizations), ACT’s ongoing support and text communication can help strengthen engagement, even when in-person appointments resume.
Plus, with integrated, secure video telehealth (utilizing your existing communication platform, like Zoom®, Microsoft Teams® or Google Meet®) and remote screening capability (by text or email) the HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based ACT system can help professionals continue to connect with and support youth no matter the distance.
You may not be seeing youth now like you were before, so take this opportunity to let ACT’s virtual health educator be there to support and engage your youth population. Schedule a call to learn how ACT can support you in providing comprehensive sexual health or nicotine cessation services today.