Wyoming Telehealth Newsletters aim to inform and educate people about news happening in the world of healthcare and telehealth!

This Newsletter includes:

• Provider Spotlight
• Cheyenne Regional Expands Behavioral Health Access Statewide
• Telehealth for infants and toddlers
• How rural Mississippi plans to put federal funds to work addressing health IT needs
• Telehealth Prescribing Laws in 2026: Navigating Controlled Substance Rules
• Collaborating for Transportation Access in Rural Communities
• Facing Financial Pressure, Rural Hospitals Adapt to Survive
• Nurses Protest Palantir’s Expanding Role in U.S. Health Systems

Provider Spotlight

Sherry Negaard is a University of Wyoming graduate researcher who spent the last academic year working alongside the Wyoming Telehealth Network (WyTN) at the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities to explore how different provider perspectives shape telehealth implementation across the state. Negaard is a lifelong Wyomingite and spent most of her life in Sundance. Her upbringing in small-town Wyoming played a significant role in her pursuit of medicine and fostered a deep-rooted passion for serving rural and underserved communities.

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Negaard pursued opportunities the combined modern medicine and technology to improve healthcare access in rural areas.

Sherry Negaard, M.S.

These experiences ultimately lead her to pursue telehealth research with WyTN. Negaard supported research initiatives focused on strengthening telehealth delivery and understanding potential barriers to healthcare access throughout Wyoming.

In April Negaard successfully defended her graduate research during the quarterly Wyoming Telehealth Consortium meeting, which enabled her to earn a Master of Science in Kinesiology and Health Promotion, and graduate certificate in Community and Public Health. Negaard will continue her education this July in the Physician Assistant Studies program at Creighton University–Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona, where she hopes to continue exploring innovative solutions to expand access to care in underserved communities. 

Cheyenne Regional Expands Behavioral Health Access Statewide

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is expanding behavioral health support across Wyoming through its Psychiatric Assessment and Referral Team (PART), using telehealth technology to connect emergency departments with specialized psychiatric care in real time. The new TelePART service aims to improve access to mental health evaluations, reduce delays in treatment, and support hospitals in rural communities where behavioral health resources are often limited. Hospital leaders say the program will help ensure patients across the state can receive timely, expert mental health care regardless of location.

Telehealth for infants and toddlers

Telehealth offers a wide range of services for infants and toddlers, including well-child visits, urgent care, primary care, nutrition counseling, therapy, specialty consultations, and follow-up care. These virtual services allow providers to monitor development, guide caregivers, manage symptoms, and even assess a child’s home environment to better understand factors affecting health and well-being.

How rural Mississippi plans to put federal funds to work addressing health IT needs

In 2026, telehealth prescribing laws for controlled substances will remain in a transitional phase, as federal regulators continue extending pandemic-era flexibilities while working toward permanent rules. Providers can still prescribe Schedule II–V medications via telehealth, even without an in-person visit, so long as they meet federal and state requirements, with certain allowances like audio-only care for opioid use disorder treatment. Ultimately, the evolving regulatory landscape highlights a balance between expanding access to care and ensuring patient safety, with clearer long-term guidelines expected as agencies finalize new telemedicine prescribing standards.

Collaborating for Transportation Access in Rural Communities

Transportation barriers remain a major challenge in rural communities, often preventing people from accessing healthcare, jobs, food, and other essential services, even when those resources are nearby. Through partnerships with local organizations, Feonix – Mobility Rising is helping address these gaps by creating flexible, community-based transportation programs like ride networks and “Transportation Rx,” which connect individuals to critical services and improve health outcomes. Ultimately, these efforts show how investing in transportation solutions can reduce missed appointments, strengthen local economies, and significantly improve the quality of life in rural areas.

Facing Financial Pressure, Rural Hospitals Adapt to Survive

Rural hospitals in Oklahoma are under mounting financial strain, pushing many to rethink how they operate in order to stay open. To survive, some are adapting by expanding services like swing-bed programs, partnering with larger health systems, or shifting care models to create new revenue streams and better serve local patients. These changes may help stabilize struggling facilities, but experts warn that without broader policy support and funding reforms, many rural hospitals and the communities that depend on them remain at risk.

Nurses Protest Palantir’s Expanding Role in U.S. Health Systems

Nurses across the U.S. are raising concerns about Palantir’s growing involvement in healthcare systems, warning that increased reliance on data-driven technology could impact patient privacy, clinical decision-making, and trust in care delivery. Protesters argue that healthcare organizations should prioritize transparency and frontline worker input before expanding partnerships with powerful tech companies. The debate highlights a larger national conversation about how artificial intelligence and big data should be integrated into modern healthcare without compromising ethics or patient-centered care.

Additional Special Interest Group Meetings

Special interest groups are facilitated by the WyTN to improve collaboration, education, and communication for distinct groups and fields in regards to telehealth. They allow for tangible support on specific needs and access to a network of champions and experts. Each group fosters their own goals to help improve their practices.



Telemental Health



Second Friday of the month

June 12, 2026

11:00am - 12:00pm



zoom.us/j/96469814026

Community Health & Chronic Disease Prevention



Second Tuesday of the month

June 9, 2026

11:00am - 12:00pm

zoom.us/j/99923831002

Hospital



Third Tuesday of the month

June 16, 2026

12:00pm - 1:00pm

zoom.us/j/94824269281

Check out the Special Interest Group webpages!



Here you'll find SIG-specific updates, agendas, minutes, and education opportunities.