Genetic Cancer, Prenatal, and Pregnancy Care: TeleHealth Amidst COVID-19

You can meet with a genetic counselor securely, in the comfort of your home, through GSF’s telehealth services. Photo courtesy: Genetic Support Foundation
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Submitted by Genetic Support Foundation

The genetic counselors at Genetic Support Foundation (GSF) in Olympia are used to seeing patients via Telehealth, a video conferencing approach to meeting people wherever they’re at–be it at home or in a clinic. For those who are undergoing cancer treatments, live in rural areas, or who otherwise can’t be seen in a traditional clinic setting, this is the tried-and-true method of delivering genetic counseling services.

Now, amidst COVID-19 concerns, GSF is working to move 100 percent of its genetic counseling appointments online. That way, even the most vulnerable patients can still get the care they need and GSF staff can practice best methods for social distancing. Video calls can take place on any desktop or mobile device with an internet connection and are HIPAA-compliant.

Murray Banks, a patient of GSF, speaks to the benefit of Telehealth, which was a lifeline for him because his remote location didn’t allow for travel.

“The willingness of GSF to provide very personalized consultation via Telehealth enabled me to receive care that I could not have gotten otherwise,” shares Banks. “The GSF team is thorough, professional and easy to work with–a real plus in today’s difficult healthcare world.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, genetic counselors would often travel to neighboring cities’ oncology centers to see patients who needed a genetic determination for cancer treatment and/or to understand inherited cancer risk for family members.

Likewise, genetic counselors would also often meet with women and their partners in pregnancy and prenatal centers to help them understand their testing options and to bring genetics into the picture for those having trouble conceiving.

“We feel so fortunate that we already had a workflow in place to support secure telehealth appointments for patients,” says Katie Stoll, executive director and genetic counselor at GSF. “During uncertain times, it’s comforting to know that people can still get the appropriate care they need to move forward with cancer treatments and surgery or to make informed decisions related to their family’s health.”

Genetic Support Foundation also supported patients in-office at their west Olympia location. The office will stay closed to the public until further notice, however, will continue to meet with patients and their families via Telehealth genetic counseling appointments.

For more information visit https://geneticsupportfoundation.org/covid-19.

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