“We believe every child should have equal access to pediatric care everywhere”
Jennifer Achilles, Co-Founder.
This foundational principle for Telepeds came by witnessing the inequalities rural New Mexico families face. Jennifer Achilles, MD, and Misha Harris, PNP, served as hospitalists together in the New Mexico healthcare system and discovered the shocking truth: most kids who visited did not require emergency procedures. Many were children with minor symptoms and conditions that an urgent care pediatrician could easily treat.
However, as they began to see more kids in hospital beds and talk with parents, they watched the challenges parents overcame for their children to receive treatment. Emergency rooms had become an expensive solution since urgent care facilities were not available in their rural communities. Those who drove hours away to see a pediatrician would miss entire workdays to treat their kids, making it difficult for them to provide for their families.
They knew New Mexico families dealt with healthcare inequalities unparalleled to big-city residents due to distance, price, and time. Sadly, children missed educational opportunities in the process.
The Statistics are Startling
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, New Mexico was ranked 49 out of 50 in 2021 for overall child well-being. The group analyzed statistical data from various factors, such as education, housing cost burdens, and health. This data accurately reflects the compounding issue of unequal access to healthcare for rural New Mexico families. Since there are 14 counties in the state without any pediatricians and 3 counties with only one pediatrician each, parents have no choice but to risk their employment and family’s wellbeing to access treatment.
Jennifer and Misha knew they had to take action regarding this crisis, especially since no other healthcare organizations were involved. Children were missing school to see pediatricians hours away from home, and local school systems did not have nurses on staff who could step in. Many kids became susceptible to preventable diseases and other sicknesses that later grew into more serious medical issues.
As COVID-19 entered the world in 2020, the two realized early on that the Telemedicine platform was their solution to advocate for every rural New Mexico child to get the treatment they deserved. They could not continue to watch cycles of startling statistics repeat themselves with children lacking healthcare access.
Affordable Pediatrics for Every Family
While most pediatricians and emergency rooms charge parents high prices, our company is committed to providing free and affordable urgent care to every family. We're passionate about specifically meeting your parents' needs with modern pediatric care at a price you can afford.
Our pricing model achieves this by offering $24.95 per month for unlimited access to board-certified pediatricians for your entire household. Even if you don't have insurance, this same great price applies and your children can gain equal access to caring New Mexico doctors. We also take most major insurance carriers in New Mexico.
We will never turn a child away due to a lack of funds and always make virtual visits within each family’s budget. Our team knows the only way to solve pediatric urgent care inequalities is to give deserving parents opportunities to seek treatment for their children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
"Across all practice settings, Telehealth has significant potential to improve health inequities related to access to care by bringing remote services to both rural and urban settings that are under-resourced."
Healthcare Innovators for Global Human Rights
Complex problems always call for creative solutions and innovators to do the thinking. Our team harnessed technological and medical advances through Telemedicine to level the healthcare playing field for New Mexico families. We have innovated cost-effective, practical urgent care solutions that bring pediatrics to parents from anywhere.
However, our mission to provide equal healthcare access does not stop with the Southwest: we are passionate about reaching the world. There are impoverished families and children across the globe that need advocates to fight on their behalf. This includes parents that cannot afford pediatric urgent care or do not have running water and electricity at their disposal.
The company functions as a vehicle for human rights that will continue to innovate new methods for providing all people worldwide with equal healthcare access. No matter who you are, what ethnicity you are, and where you live, your child deserves equal pediatric care opportunities. Healthcare is a human right, and we genuinely care for kids by helping parents exercise their rights through our innovative Telemedicine platform solution.
Local New Mexico Pediatricians that
Genuinely Care
We are a team of dedicated New Mexico pediatricians intimately involved in the lives of rural parents and children. Our team understands their challenges and knows it takes empathetic, local healthcare providers to create an effective solution. It breaks our hearts to watch New Mexico families suffer due to unequal healthcare access, and we genuinely care about making a difference.
Highly recommended
MD Pediatrician
Highly recommended
CPNP-AC, Pediatric Nurse Practicioner
Highly recommended
MD Pediatrician