Orange County Public Schools

Hazel Health provides physical and mental telehealth services to students at school and at home. Hazel Health is an additional tool for school health staff, including nurses, health clerks, counselors, and social workers, to support student health and wellbeing.

Telehealth is the use of technology to provide health care virtually. All Hazel Health visits are "virtual visits" through a tablet, desktop, or other smart device.

Hazel Health will be available in a cross-section of schools starting September 5, 2023.

Students can only receive care with a completed consent form from a guardian. Guardians of students, or students over the age of 18, must complete an online consent form before receiving Hazel Health services. The consent form can be found at my.hazel.co/ocps. All consent information can be updated anytime by completing a new consent form.

If you already filled out a consent form for your student to receive care through the health office, you still need to fill out Hazel Health’s consent form for your student to access their services.

To provide consent, visit my.hazel.co/ocps and complete the consent form. If you need support filling out the consent form or cannot access an internet-enabled device at home, please visit your school administrator for help.

No. You must fill out the consent form found at my.hazel.co/ocps for your student to access care through Hazel Health.

In OCPS, Hazel Health can only access student data with a signed consent form. Hazel Health can not provide care until about 48 hours after completing a consent form.

Yes.

All student health information will stay confidential and in compliance with HIPAA. Student information is stored on Hazel Health’s highly secure, fully encrypted digital records platform—as it would be at a doctor’s office.

Students learn best when they feel best. OCPS is partnering with Hazel Health in response to the increasing demand the district is seeing for both physical health and mental health services, especially after the pandemic. Additionally, it is convenient for families since students can get care at no cost without the parent/guardian having to miss work.

OCPS has chosen a cross-section of our schools throughout the district. For more information about whether Hazel Health is available at your school, please contact your school administrator.

Hazel Health’s physical health providers are state-licensed Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Associates. Hazel Health’s mental health providers are Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

OCPS’ partnership with Hazel Health makes it possible for its providers and therapists to see all students without out-of-pocket costs to families, regardless of insurance or immigration status.

The Orange County Public Schools knows students learn best when they feel best. That’s why they partnered with Hazel Health to ensure all students get the care they need to feel well and attend class daily. Our partnership makes it possible to provide care with no out-of-pocket costs.

Families with medical insurance will be asked to provide their insurance information so Hazel Health can bill insurance for Hazel Health services. If insurance does not cover costs, Hazel Health will not bill or collect co-pays from families. It also helps Hazel Health to coordinate care better, such as referrals and prescriptions.

Physical health services are available on-demand, 7:00 am–5:00 pm local time, Monday through Friday. School-based physical health services will only take place during the school day. If you have not signed a consent before a visit, it will take 48 hours for your student to gain access to Hazel Health’s services.

Physical health services can occur at home (from 7:00 am–5:00 pm) at a family’s request or in the nurse’s office during school hours when the nurse is present and has determined telehealth services are needed.

Families/guardians will receive a secure link via text message that they can use to join the visit virtually on an internet-enabled smartphone, computer, or tablet.

All student health information will stay confidential and in compliance with HIPAA. Nurses will be able to look up whether that student has successfully consented for Hazel, but will not receive any details about that student’s care plan or health information without a legal guardian’s explicit permission. Student information is stored on Hazel’s highly secure, fully encrypted digital records platform.

There is no limit on the number of visits.

At-school physical health visits are available on-demand for students with prior signed consent for care on file. Wait times may be a little longer during peak visit times. At-home physical health visits are available throughout the day at the request of the guardian.

Physical health services begin when a student visits their school nurse with a potential medical issue*. The nurse determines that a Hazel Health Telehealth appointment is necessary, and the nurse confirms the student has a Hazel Health consent form on file. The nurse will begin by initiating an on-demand Hazel Health visit. The nurse will then take the student’s height, weight, temperature, and blood-oxygen level and enter that information on the iPad for the Hazel Health provider. The Hazel Health provider will speak with the student to better understand what is going on. If appropriate, the provider may prescribe the student with over-the-counter medicine that the guardian has previously consented to or may recommend follow-up care. Once the visit is complete, an automatic follow-up report will be sent to the student’s guardian.

*Note: If an on-site clinic is available, the nurse will utilize the on-site clinic as appropriate. If the
on-site clinic is determined not to be appropriate for the student, the nurse may proceed with
utilizing Hazel Health if the nurse deems it appropriate and the student has a consent form on
file.

Following each physical health visit, the guardian will receive a text message with a link to access the discharge summary for the visit securely.

No. During the online consent, guardians can designate which over-the-counter medications the Hazel Health provider can prescribe.

Teletherapy services are available 7:00 am–7:00 pm local time, Monday through Friday.

When opting into services, the guardian can request that the sessions occur during the school day or at home.

Each school will designate a location where the student can go for school sessions. If needed, headphones and privacy screens can be provided. A school-based staff member will remain in eyesight during the session.

Please note: If you want your student's sessions to occur at school, you must contact your school counselor. You do not need to contact your school counselor if you prefer your student’s visits to happen at home.

School staff members who refer a student to Hazel Health’s mental health service can look up whether that student has successfully consented to Hazel Health but will not receive any details about that student’s care plan or health information without your explicit permission. All student health information will stay confidential and in compliance with HIPAA. Student information is stored on Hazel Health’s highly secure, fully encrypted digital records platform.

A guardian will receive a call from a Hazel Health Family Resource Manager explaining that their child has been referred by the school counselor for mental health services through Hazel Health. The Hazel Health Family Resource Manager can share what school staff member made a referral for care. The parent or guardian will then choose if they would like to opt into services for their student and schedule an intake visit.

Hazel Health's mental health sessions typically consist of a preliminary intake visit and approximately six sessions. The program is short-term—if your child needs long-term mental health support, Hazel Health will work with the guardian to identify and connect the family to a local provider.

First, a guardian or the school counselor can refer a student for teletherapy by
completing the referral form for the student. Once a student has been referred, the Hazel Health Family Resource Manager will call the guardian. If the guardian opts-into services, then the Hazel Health Family Resource Manager will schedule an intake visit. The guardian will participate in the initial intake session with the student.

After the intake visit, the guardian will work with a Hazel Health Family Resource
Manager to schedule appointments for their student at school or home. All sessions are pre-scheduled, and each student participates in approximately six sessions. Once all of the sessions are complete, the student, guardian, and therapist will review their progress and recommend either long-term support or additional next steps.

The Hazel Health clinical team will work with the referrer and/or guardian to reschedule canceled or missed appointments. Clinical visits proceeding as scheduled is a crucial component of ensuring that Hazel Health’s licensed providers can best serve the needs of students, but Hazel Health understands that conflicts arise. Whenever possible, Hazel Health appreciates receiving at least 24 hours advance notice in the event that a visit needs to be canceled or rescheduled.

Services will be discontinued, and the student will be asked to re-enroll at a later day if that student has:

two consecutive at-home visits canceled or rescheduled fewer than 24 hours in advance of the originally scheduled time OR
three total at-home visits canceled or rescheduled fewer than 24 hours in advance of the originally scheduled time OR‍
one week has elapsed since the date of a missed intake/counseling session, and no guardian has followed up

At a later date, students may request re-enrollment in the program as long as they renew a commitment to attending sessions as scheduled.

Please note that therapists may or may not be able to accommodate requests for sessions to be moved later in the day or week, given the weekly nature of the Hazel Health teletherapy model. If a visit does need to be canceled and cannot be rescheduled, students can still look forward to their recurring session the following week.

In alignment with mental health industry standards, Hazel Health cannot duplicate counseling services already provided by another therapist. Please let your Hazel Health therapist know if you are receiving any other mental health services during your intake visit so that they can determine whether it is clinically appropriate to pursue Hazel Health’s program. If you have any additional questions, please contact your student’s school.