COVID-19 testing expanded for all teachers in Mississippi

Governor Tate Reeves launched new COVID-19 initiatives to ensure the health and well-being of students and teachers as they return to school.

Governor Reeves is expanding COVID-19 testing for all Mississippi teachers, even those without symptoms, and emergency telehealth coverage through the Mississippi Division of Medicaid to include schools.

This expanded testing for teachers will enable them to get tested at any point even if they have not exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 or come in close contact with a known case.

Governor Reeves worked with Executive Drew Snyder to help boost efforts to protect students, enabling schools without school nurses or school-based clinics to access telehealth services. “This change to the division of Medicaid emergency telehealth policy, any school can serve as the originating site as long as there is a telepresenter that is present for the encounter between the beneficiary and the distance site healthcare provider. Telepresenters can include registered nurses employed by school district or staff employed by community clinic. This allows those community providers to build connections with their local schools and supply telepresenters as the need arises. Our hope is that this new policy will increase the likelihood that children can get more timely and efficient care without having to leave the school and without creating additional burdens on parents or the schools themselves.”

The Amended Emergency Telehealth Policy allows any school to serve as the originating site as long as the distant site provider uses a telepresenter who meets the definition of admin.