Cedars-Sinai expands virtual care offering to children, Spanish speakers

Cedars-Sinai announced it is expanding its AI-powered virtual healthcare platform, Cedars-Sinai Connect, to include a Spanish version of the app for parents of children aged 3 to 17 and Spanish-speaking adults.

Parents of children 3 to 17 will have 24/7 on-demand access to Cedars-Sinai healthcare providers for urgent issues, such as colds, rashes, flu and coughs. They can also choose a scheduled visit during certain hours on weekdays and weekends. A child’s pediatrician is kept in the loop through Cedars’ EHR. 

Spanish-speaking adults and parents of children 3 and older will be able to utilize the health system’s app in their native language. Providers will be available for scheduled visits on weekdays and weekends, or via on-demand care 24/7, with the assistance of a Spanish interpreter.

Spanish-speaking adults will also have access to primary care to manage chronic conditions like anxiety, high blood pressure, obesity and depression. 

“Cedars-Sinai Connect has already helped thousands of new and existing patients easily access the high-quality care for which Cedars-Sinai is known from home,” Jill Martin, executive vice president of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network, said in a statement.

“The platform is helping us extend that opportunity to even more people throughout California who are coming to Cedars-Sinai for convenient acute or chronic care. These patients also gain access to our broad network of specialists through referrals when appropriate.”

THE LARGER TREND

Cedars-Sinai Health System is located in California, a state with one of the largest Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S.

Cedars initially launched its AI-enabled virtual care platform in 2023, and the healthcare system boasts that it has been used by more than 8,000 patients from San Diego to Sacramento.

Health analytics company K Health developed the app to reduce the administrative burden for healthcare providers. 

Other digital health companies working to improve access to care among the Spanish-speaking population include women’s telehealth startup Twentyeight Health, which released its offerings for reproductive health services in Spanish in 2021, and Seattle-based Zócalo Health, a virtual healthcare service for Latino patients.