VSee HIPAA compliant group video chat for telemedicine is being used for a new online support group for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Unlike Skype and Google Hangouts, VSee’s peer-to-peer video chat and screen share is encrypted from end-to-end where VSee has no access to any data transmitted between callers.
Sponsored by Petersburg Mental Health and W.A.V.E. (Working Against Violence for Everyone), the support group began in July and allows members to meet each other face-to-face while maintaining the privacy of being in a doctor’s or therapists’ office. The Petersburg Pilot further reports:
VSee was designed specifically for people in remote locations, such as Petersburg, and has been used as a means for patients to talk to their doctors. The program also has conferencing capabilities, which is perfect for the trauma support group, said W.A.V.E. Program Director Annette Wooton.
“This allows participants to go home [and use the program], and they don’t have that stigma of walking through the door or parking outside of a place and thinking: ‘Oh great, now everybody knows I’m receiving services from this organization,’” Wooton said. “And also we can reach out to other communities, like Craig,” she added.
“It’s difficult to get a support group started being in a small town, but hopefully with the telehealth program, it’s going to make it a little easier to help,” she said, adding that the participants guide what takes place during each session.
With VSee telehealth trauma survivors outside of Petersburg who want additional support are also able to bring their experiences to the group.
The program is funded by grants from the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Trauma-Informed Care.
