As classrooms continue to adopt hybrid learning models, telephony remains a critical tool to support day-to-day communications between teachers, administrators, and parents. Our experts have assisted schools across the globe, including Howe Public Schools, to migrate from legacy phone systems to modern VoIP systems, like Zoom Phone.

We sat down with Howe Public School leaders to hear how Zoom Phone and Poly CCX series desk phones have helped improve daily operations. Here are four key benefits customers can enjoy when choosing Poly |HP and Zoom for your telephony needs:

1. Ease of Deployment

As shared by education advocate, Lance Ford, “When we bring in a [Poly] device, it’s so easy to provision and get it out of the door. That speed of delivery and with the flexibility to be wherever you need to be is what’s been beautiful about Zoom Phone and Poly.” When customers choose Poly solutions certified for Zoom Phone, you can trust our solutions to power up your Zoom experiences with ease.

2. Smart Tools built for Mobility

Poly and Zoom understand that school leaders need tools to support effective communications no matter where they are physically working. We are delighted that educators, like Carol Ann Ford, can confidently “jump into it [Zoom Meetings] wherever” they are and keep the conversation going. Poly has a complete suite of certified solutions for Zoom, so whether you start a Zoom phone call on your mobile device with a Poly headset and transition the call to a Poly desk phone at your desk, we have all your communications needs met.

3. Feature-Rich User Experience

“Our teachers and staff are loving the new Zoom Phone system; from the day of implementation to now, it’s been seamless” – Tammy Parks, Instructional Technology Coordinator

An intuitive user experience is essential to a successful deployment, and Poly uniquely understands this. We’ve thoughtfully engineered the Poly CCX series desk phones with Poly signature audio along with a color-touch display that showcases the familiar Zoom user interface. The modern design and cool features including Zoom directory access and escalating a call to Zoom video make this lineup of desk phones a fan favorite.

4. Reliable Support You Can Count On

Our experts know that transitioning to a modern VoIP system takes a coordinated effort. We have a global team of sales and tech support that work closely with customers to ensure the best user experience. As simply put by Superintendent Scott Parks, our team of experts make sure “the products work well and here’s how to get [the] job done”.

Enjoy this video testimonial from Howe Public School leaders to hear how Poly CCX series and Zoom Phone made a positive impact. Have questions? Connect with our experts today!

The opportunity to experience professional work in the tech industry and the different career paths within it helps upcoming talent enter the workforce informed and inspired. Internships are one of the most comprehensive ways to gain this experience, and this year, Poly welcomed 54 interns from across the United States. Christine Zhou, who worked as a marketing intern on Poly’s Zoom Alliance team, participated remotely, and she shares how the internship at Poly has impacted her and her peers.

A Poly Intern Experience: Christine Zhou

From the very first day of my internship, I was excited to learn how to be a better communicator, pick up leadership skills and work with Zoom, a household name. Now, as I approach my last day, I realize I have gained all of those and so much more. My biggest takeaways from this incredible 10-week internship experience are connection, development and celebration.

Creating Memorable Connections

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Poly interns had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with executives and the CEO himself. These leaders shared insights into their role and career journeys across our conference and personal rooms. With Poly technology, no comments were left unheard, so our chats felt very interactive—even to a remote intern, like me.

As part of my marketing role, I collaborated daily with creative and technical teams on a global scale. I networked with Zoom colleagues and even coordinated Poly’s presence at this year’s Zoom Education Summit. Each intern’s networking journey is different, but everyone I connected with was open and welcoming, no matter how packed their calendars were!

A Business Analyst intern in the Global Customer Solutions Teams, Behnoosh Sethna, explains, “The Friday Intern Brown Bag Lunch was a wonderful way to network with other interns and peers in an informal setting, in which we tend to share more about ourselves. Having it on a Friday helped us wind down after the week and share our learnings with one another.”

Professional Development

Throughout my internship experience, I explored Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and networked with Poly employees who gave me great advice for navigating the tech industry. One of my learning highlights was the Rapid Intern Development & Education (RIDE) series. My favorite session was the Past Intern Panel in which current Poly employees shared how the internship program helped them flourish and shape their careers. Other session topics included Poly product training, Microsoft Teams tips and tricks and career management.

Bobbie Burton, a Learning & Organizational Development intern agreed, “The RIDE sessions have been super helpful in getting to know Poly, the people at Poly and how to be successful as young, emerging professionals. I especially enjoyed the session on how to strategically manage and navigate a professional career, which was led by Deborah Rousseau, the US Intern Program Manager, and LaTorsha Hill, Senior Director Talent Management and Talent Acquisition. In addition, I have truly valued the opportunities to ask questions about employees’ professional journeys and to learn about the various functions within the organization.”

Celebrating Interns!

At Poly, having fun is part of work. Interns participated in virtual scavenger hunts, volunteer day and a desk decorating challenge. The “Westminterns” in Colorado claimed the desk decorating title by transforming their cubicles and conference room into a Hawaiian paradise.

At the end of the internship, we will all share presentations covering our contributions and takeaways to highlight our diverse goals, achievements and the lessons we’ve learned. It’s awesome that so many Poly employees from across various teams plan to show up to support and celebrate our work.

Onward and Upward

Something I learned from Gloria Loredo, Poly’s Chief Transformation Officer, is that life isn’t linear or predictable. It’s so true. Every day at Poly contained a new surprise and experience—it made summer fly by. No matter where our group of interns end up in our careers, we’re leaving with lasting bonds, wisdom from employees and newfound skills to help us face the future of work in the tech industry and beyond.

As educators prepare for the coming academic year, mental health support is a top priority. The last couple years have made life and learning a challenging experience, and its impact on wide-spread mental health is unquestionable. Therefore, many academic institutions are searching for resources to help implement mental health support systems before students and staff return this fall.

In May, the White House released a fact sheet covering strategies and funding opportunities, such as the HEERF and ESSER grants, to help address the National Mental Health Crisis. In conjunction, the U.S. Department of Education is issuing new guidance to academic institutions on how to use their American Rescue Plan funds to provide more mental health and disorder-based services, including hiring mental health professionals, expanding virtual counseling support, offering stress-reduction activities, building peer support programs and establishing crisis hotlines.

The Wall Street Journal reports that of the 122 billion dollars in federal money set aside for the K-12 education system alone, 93 percent of available grant funds remain unspent and could be lost if not used by their respective deadlines. This makes summer break the perfect time to plan ahead and apply for these funding opportunities.

How to Use the Funding for Empowering Technology

The HEERF and ESSER grants, among others, can be used to implement technology that supports continued learning, preventative actions and better access to mental healthcare. This means phone systems, headsets, webcams, video conferencing solutions, telehealth stations and communications systems that can provide alerts. With improved voice and video technology, academic institutions can offer their students and staff more access to virtual counseling, telehealth resources, preventative actions and online learning options, no matter where they are. Reliable, flexible technology empowers educators with the tools they need to provide ongoing, comprehensive mental health support.

How Poly Can Help

The Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP) can help institutions navigate the complexities of ESSER, HEERF and numerous other federal funding opportunities. They offer a wide array of free services to guide you through the process—from grant identification and application to close-out. Their services include:

Pre-Award Support

The PGAP team can usher your organization through the entire qualification process. Their network of consultants and grant-writing experts across the country specialize in helping you meet your specific needs. Where allowed by the agency, services can include writing and editing assistance, budget development and budget narrative recommendations to support your technology solutions.

Post-Award Support

Some organizations find the post-award process and required paperwork a bit intimidating. The PGAP team is happy to provide support, ensure you’re in compliance and help move your project forward in a timely manner.

Get in Touch with Poly’s Grant Assistance Team

For more information or support on grant funding in general, please feel free to contact the Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP) at grants@poly.com.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that institutions of higher education with 1,000 dollars or more of HEERF funds will receive an automatic extension of their performance period. They now have until June 30, 2023 to expend their remaining funds. The pandemic placed an immense burden—logistically and financially—on institutions, educators and students, and many challenges persist. In a recent NPR article, Doug Shapiro, a National Student Clearinghouse Research lead, explained that undergraduate enrollment has dropped 6.6 percent since 2019, the largest two-year decrease in the last 50 years. This funding extension comes just in time and gives organizations the latitude to meet the moment and plan for the future.

Using the Funding for Voice and Video Technology

The past two years have taught us all how important it is to have readiness and flexibility built into an organization’s communication infrastructure. Having the tools to adapt to any disruption is critical. Fortunately, the HEERF can be used to implement professional-grade voice and video infrastructure that ensures connection and collaboration, providing continuity for students and staff no matter what disruption affects the public sector next. This means phone systems, headsets, breakout video conferencing rooms, telehealth stations and more. Reliable, flexible technology enables every classroom to serve in-person, remote, online and hybrid learning, all at the same time. With the right tools, institutions can engage students more effectively now and for years to come.

How Poly Can Help

A year will fly by in no time, so institutions need to make a plan and take action, especially with the the curve balls the supply chain keeps hurling at the market. The Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP) can help institutions navigate the complexities of HEERF, and other federal funding. They offer a wide array of free services to guide you through the process—from funding identification to close-out. The team has been around since before the pandemic and will continue to be well into the future. Their services include:

Pre-Award Support

The PGAP team can walk your organization through entire pre-award process. Additionally, their network of consultants and grant-writing experts across the country specialize in meeting your specific needs. Where allowed by the agency, services can include writing assistance, editing support, budget development and budget narrative recommendations to support your technology solutions.

Post-Award Support

Many organizations find the post-award process and required paperwork a bit daunting. The PGAP team is happy to provide support, ensuring you’re in compliance, and help move your project forward in a timely manner. This is especially important for HEERF as the process can be a little different than other federal funds.

Get in Touch with Poly’s Grant Assistance Team

For more information or support on grant funding in general, please feel free to contact the Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP) at grants@poly.com.

If the last two years have taught IT professionals, the public sector and business leaders anything, it’s that organizations must be prepared with a voice and video infrastructure capable of providing continuity in the face of rapid, and often, disruptive change. The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital acceleration across all industries, as companies have been forced to rapidly deploy new technologies to keep their teams connected and performing at their best, no matter where they are getting their work done.

Whether it is health-related, like the current Omicron surge, or a natural disaster, no one knows what the next major disruption will be or when it may show up, but the recent past has taught us all how important it is to have readiness and flexibility built into an organization’s communication infrastructure.

Here are a few examples of Poly customers from different verticals who were ahead of the curve in terms of having the right collaboration tools in place to set their organizations up for success as they navigated the challenges of quickly pivoting to support remote and hybrid teams:

EDUCATION

The pandemic turned the education landscape upside down seemingly overnight, challenging learning institutions of all types to implement distance learning and remote administration in record time. Deciding what gear to roll-out, which features to deploy and how to ensure network readiness were major challenges for administrators and IT departments to navigate.

Issues such as their phone systems not allowing for off-prem use, needing to provide reliable professional quality headsets and roll out VaaS platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams left many schools struggling and scrambling in the transition to remote education.

When Chapman University needed a flexible solution that facilitated reliable communication and collaboration between staff and students, they turned to Poly as their trusted partner. Chapman moved quickly in the early days of the pandemic to support its nearly 10,000 students and staff with Poly gear, preparing them with the necessary tools to tackle remote learning and administration. The use of video cameras with features like speaker tracking, headsets that block out distracting background noise and speakerphones with acoustic fence technology made a huge difference for teachers working from home or in remote classrooms. The transition to support remote learning helped the university create a safe environment, support diverse needs and better prepare for whatever the future may hold.

Pennsylvania Public Schools is another success story. The Poly technology the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU 13) implemented years before to connect the 22 schools in their district made their pandemic-induced transition to distance learning far more seamless. Roy Hoover, IU 13’s Network and Telecommunications Coordinator, pointed out that the decision to move from traditional desk phones to softphones and Poly headsets in the years prior to the pandemic made for a relatively seamless transition when staff were forced to work from home. Roy’s experience demonstrates how equipping a workforce with flexible, agile technology makes it possible to transition between traditional and remote working environments with relative ease.

GOVERNMENT

State and Federal governments faced massive challenges when transitioning to supporting a virtual workforce due to the scale of operations, privacy/security concerns and need to integrate with outdated, complex legacy infrastructure.

Because the Virginia State Supreme Court had a Poly-powered voice and video network in place, the pandemic did not incite the chaos it might have otherwise. Bob Kelley, Sr. Video Applications Engineer for the Supreme Court of Virginia, recommends that if states haven’t already begun, they should start planning their video infrastructure immediately so that they can launch something that will work for them in the long run – the next five to seven years.

HEALTHCARE

The medical field has been ahead of the game relative to many other industries. Healthcare institutions have been taking strides toward improving telemedicine for years to make quality care more accessible. There was an increasing demand for telehealth options, even before the pandemic, and now that increase has accelerated significantly. Administrators and IT professionals in the medical field have been leading the charge and taking on this challenge bravely, and Poly has been happy to be an ally.

Avera eCARE has supported patients and clinicians with their team of medical experts for more than 25 years. As true pioneers in telehealth, they use Poly solutions across their network to provide remote emergency care to rural emergency rooms, behavioral health clinics, critical access needs, correctional health needs and senior care.

On an average month, Avera eCARE supports 1,400 emergency video consults calls and 1,000 specialist consults, receiving patients from their 380+ Poly Group Series 500 units deployed to emergency rooms, state correction facilities and long-term care facilities. In addition to video, nearly 90 percent of Avera’s clinical administration and clinical staff use a Poly headset at their desk every day.  In the early days of the lockdown, they were well-equipped to send staff home with the gear they needed to continue providing exceptional service to patients.

The Road to Readiness

At this point, we know change is inevitable. It’s something the workforce is going to navigate day-by-day, and we know the back and forth is exhausting for everyone. However, ensuring your business has readiness and flexibility built in ahead of time can make a huge difference. Those who suffered fewer obstacles and less stress were those who already had flexible, reliable voice and video technology in place.

Poly is here to assist with a variety of consulting services that help you plan ahead and future-proof your organization, including the Poly Grant Assistance Program, which is a free resource focused on aligning available funding with your organization’s communication needs.

The road to readiness is paved with professional-grade voice and video solutions capable of adapting quickly as collaboration dynamics evolve. Being prepared is the key to business continuity – and, when it comes to keeping your teams connected, Poly’s got you covered.

Many organizations want to invest in telecommunication technology, but lack adequate funding to do so, which makes grant acquisition essential. The USDA Rural Utilities Service – Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant (RUS-DLT) is a major contributor in this area. The grant exists to support and improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas via telecommunications, computer networks and related advanced technologies used by students, teachers, medical professionals and rural residents.

Remoteness and low population density can greatly influence a community’s access to education and medical services. By linking teachers and medical services providers to students and patients in other areas, residents tap into the benefits of modern telecommunications for education and healthcare—two key areas for economic and community development.

The RUS-DLT is an annual grant that awards anywhere from $50,000 to $1 million dollars to eligible applicants. While the funding deadline will likely be set for spring of 2022, organizations need to start preparing now. There will be between 40 and 60 grants awarded, paid out over three years, requiring 15 percent cost matching. This funding presents a meaningful opportunity to improve a community’s access to educational and medical services, but the information gathering and application process is detail intensive and time consuming. Therefore, it is critical to prepare all applications before the official deadline is announced, especially considering the required turnaround is typically 60 days or less.

Using the Funds for Audio and Visual Equipment

In addition to instructional programming and technical assistance, the RUS-DLT grant funds can be used to purchase the audio and video equipment professionals need to deliver outstanding telemedicine and distance learning experiences. With professional-grade equipment supporting them, medical professionals and educators can focus all their efforts on delivering a best-in-class experience, no matter their location. Modern telecommunications offers so much potential to shatter the limitations of traditional community services. Ensuring organizations have the appropriate equipment to make most of this potential is a critical step forward.

Who can Apply?

Eligible applicants include most entities that provide education or health care through telecommunications, including most State and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, non-profits, for-profit businesses and a consortium of eligible entities. All grant applications are vetted and accepted through a competitive process.

Preparing for the RUS-DLT Grant and How Poly can Help                                                                                                                                       

If an eligible organization wants to take advantage of the RUS-DLT Grant, they need to start preparing their application now. They must quickly evaluate their needs, ensure their project aligns with the scope of the funding, gather information for their proposal and keep their eyes peeled for the deadline announcement. There are plenty of online resources to help organizations prepare for grant application, but it’s not always the hands-on and detail-oriented help you need to navigate the process. Poly’s Grant Assistance Program (PGAP) team offers a wide array of free services to guide you through the grant process—from grant identification and application to post-award administrative support:

Get Qualified Early

A critical part of preparing for the RUS-DLT Grant is making sure your organization qualifies to apply for the funds. Our consultation experts specialize in this and are happy to ensure that the RUS-DLT grant is the right fit for your organization. If it’s not, the expert will guide your organization toward other funding opportunities that are a better fit.

Post-Award Support

Although preparing for grant application is the most pressing issue right now, many organizations soon realize that they would benefit from some assistance during the reimbursement, audit and post-award paperwork process. Fortunately, PGAP consultants are well-prepared for this. They are happy to support your organization, ensuring you’re in compliance and that your project continues to move forward.

Connect with Poly’s Grant Assistance Team

For more information or support on how to construct that justification, or on grant funding in general, please feel free to contact the Poly Grant Assistance Program (PGAP) at grants@poly.com.

Want to learn how a PGAP partnership helped another organization expand their telemedicine and distance learning capacity? Click here.

The pandemic turned the education landscape upside down seemingly overnight, challenging every university to adapt to distance learning in record time. Deciding what gear to roll-out, which features to deploy and how to ensure network readiness were major challenges for administrators and IT departments to navigate. When Chapman University needed a reliable, flexible solution that facilitated reliable communication and collaboration between staff and students, they turned to Poly as their trusted partner.

Chapman moved quickly in the early days of the pandemic to support its nearly 10,000 students and staff with Poly gear, preparing them with the necessary tools to tackle remote learning and administration. The transition to remote learning helped the university create a safe environment, support diverse needs and better prepare for the future. Poly products and services made that possible.

Innovative Features

Poly’s professional-grade video gear, including the Poly Studio lineup of video bars, were selected thanks to innovative features like Presenter Tracking that allowed teachers to move freely around the classroom while instructing instead of being locked in front of their laptops. Advanced audio features like Acoustic Fence and NoiseBlockAI are available on the Poly Trio 8300 and helped ensure remote students on the far end could hear every word from their instructors and classmates.

Multi-Platform

Chapman also had to confront another key challenge: multi-platform support. Poly equipped Chapman University with devices that are fully certified for use on Microsoft Teams and Zoom, including native app experiences for both, which provided the flexibility to move seamlessly between UCaas service providers.

The Chapman team explained that,
“…as time goes on, we, as a university, are always going to reevaluate what the best provider is given current needs. And so, it’s fantastic to see that Poly products can be converted between different platforms without additional investments.”  Hear exactly what their Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure, Phillip Lyle, had to say in his own words in this video.

Ease of Deployment & Management

The Chapman team also appreciated that Poly products are easy to deploy and set up. Getting a new deployment of collaboration devices up and running in a cloud-based management system can be a painstaking process. With Poly Lens software, the unboxing and device on-boarding process is greatly simplified. The Chapman IT team could scan a QR code on the boxes as they were setting up the units and quickly register the devices within the Poly Lens client, streamlining this provisioning process to a nearly out-of-box experience.

Poly Lens software also enabled device management along with powerful, actionable insights about how Poly collaboration endpoints and the workspaces that house them were being utilized across the Chapman network. This potent combination of professional-grade devices with a powerful software backend provides for an adaptable, flexible collaboration toolset capable of evolving as the ever-changing pandemic landscape forces universities to pivot and make quick decisions.

Moving Forward

According to BestColleges.com’s 2021 Online Education Trends Report, which collected data from 1,800 college students and 366 school administrators in the fall of 2020, nearly half of all students surveyed said they were likely to engage in online (49%) or remote (48%) learning even after colleges resume normal operations.

Chapman’s students are no exception. Phillip Lyle, Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure, suggested that, in the future, it’s likely that nearly every class would feature at least one remote user as students and staff decide what learning environment is most appropriate for their safety.

Providing an Equal Seat at the Table

Important considerations must also be made for hybrid teaching models, where students will be split between in-classroom and remote attendance. This scenario often presents more challenges than a 100% remote model, as teachers strive to accommodate the needs of in-class and remote students.

Hybrid education may present challenges, but the Chapman team will be well prepared to meet them. With Poly gear, in the classroom, conference rooms and home offices, Chapman ensures that any student or staff member who needs to participate remotely, now or in the future, can do so easily and have an equitable seat at the table.

These products also help universities meet the needs of students and staff who previously had trouble attending traditional classrooms due to a physical, mental, emotional or cognitive disability. Chapman’s built-in hybrid education solutions create more opportunities, ensuring those affected have appropriate accommodations. When best-in-class collaboration tools are ready at the click of a button, students and staff can worry less about technology and more about a best-in-class education.

For more information about Poly’s solutions for education, contact a Poly representative.

Head to Poly.com to learn more!

Poly has a decades-long legacy in aerospace and astronomy – from our headsets on the moon in 1969 to the control room during this year’s Perseverance landing on Mars and NASA’s historic first flight of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Transmitting innovation is in our blood, and we are always looking for ways to further that legacy by investing in the future.

That’s part of the reason why we were excited by the opportunity to work with the International Association for Astronomical Studies (IAAS) – a 501(c)3 STEM program that has a 40+ year record of success in helping youth succeed in the sciences through their immersive and intensive astronomy and aerospace research projects and activities.

This year, the IAAS program had a special need for a distance learning hub in rural Colorado. Knowing that remote learning opportunities are more important than ever, we donated a Poly Studio X50 to help build the infrastructure that will connect students to teachers so they can prepare them for a career in STEM.

We spoke with Chris Rand, Chair of the Board at IAAS to learn more about the organization and how Poly’s technology is helping connect the innovators of tomorrow.

IAAS students at work

A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS RAND – CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF IAAS

The IAAS program was founded over 40 years ago by Professor Jim Moravec – an accomplished professional astronomer, scientist, and educator who has guided hundreds of students through the program – including Chris.

Chris first got involved with IAAS as a sophomore in high school, and he quickly became immersed in the projects, trips to planetariums and observation centers, and a global economic summit where the group presented to the leaders of the world.

Today, Professor Moravec, assisted by a team of space science experts, program alumni like Chris, and several parents of current students run this hands-on program with the intent to reach more students like him. The IAAS program stokes excitement about the sciences and prepares students for careers in the field. One of the best features of the immersive, hands-on program is that all the research is credited to the ‘the kids’ (as Prof. Moravec and Chris refer to them).

They have worked with over 1,200 students from all around the world.

MAKING STEM EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL

One of Chris’ favorite things about IAAS is its focus on inclusivity. The IAAS works with students no matter their economic or education – and being a community-driven organization means that all their budget goes to operations so that the program can be free to students. “We don’t care where you come from,” Chris shared, “you could come from the richest part of the country or one of the more economically disadvantaged areas. Our students work together and are equals, and we make sure of that.”

The idea for a distance learning hub in Colorado came out of a desire to reach more students in disadvantaged areas – particularly the Eastern Plains of Colorado, which is in a technological deficit resulting from low population densities and few educational opportunities beyond basic curriculums.

Group photo of a few IAAS students

IAAS wanted to bring their knowledge and expertise to an area that could truly benefit from it, so they found a site in eastern Colorado for the new Star Haven Observatory – a world-class facility with optical observatories, a research library, classroom space, and a multimedia studio to provide educational and community access. In a district that can currently only afford one computer for every 10 students, this distance learning hub will lift some of the financial burden so the schools can focus funds on the basics, while students get a specialized STEM education that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

That’s where Poly solutions come in. IAAS is taking a multi-media approach to daily science lessons, and they will reach thousands of students through our cameras. Chris shared that, “Through the Poly system, we can allow the districts to focus on taking care of the students, and we’ll take care of the other pieces of the puzzle – multiple cameras, interactive distance learning technology, video conferencing, whiteboards, virtual demos – all these technologies will allow us to teach in this new forum at no cost to them.”

Breaking ground on the new Star Haven Observatory site

Construction on the site is nearly complete, and we look forward to hearing more about the launch of the Star Haven Observatory. In a time when remote learning is not only possible but a part of daily life for so many students and teachers, we are constantly inspired by the new ways our solutions can be used to further education and inspire innovators around the world.

The distance learning hub will reach thousands of students – and the IAAS program results speak for themselves. Over 90% of their students have gone on to receive bachelor’s degrees, and their alumni have gone on to take part in some of the most innovative projects of the century. The IAAS is teaching the leaders of tomorrow, and we are proud to be a part of their journey.

For more information about Poly solutions for education, visit poly.com/education.

Editor’s Note: Cheryl Henshaw, National Director of Poly’s Grants Assistance Program co-authored this post.

The recently approved American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides an unprecedented amount of funding for healthcare with a primary focus on COVID response and recovery. The plan puts a strong emphasis on increasing healthcare capacity – including health professional and paraprofessional workforce development, graduate medical education, mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention. Investment in collaboration technologies that enable telehealth and remote learning is encouraged in the various component programs under the ARP umbrella, serving as a critical element of providing equitable access to these educational and clinical services

Today, we will highlight one component healthcare program of the ARP – The Health Services and Resource Administration’s (HRSA) $6.1 Billion H8F funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

FQHCs play a significant healthcare delivery role for medically underserved and vulnerable populations. FQHCs serve as the medical home for tens of millions of Americans, providing primary medical and dental care, mental/behavioral health and substance abuse services, care coordination, disease management, maternal health, and early child development services. Many FQHCs provide health services in public schools, including school-based telehealth. These valuable, but traditionally underfunded health centers will soon have the opportunity to enhance their operations through the HRSA H8F funding program. The use of funds allows for everything from investments in collaboration infrastructure and technologies to upgrading facilities and deploying mobile units that allow for the continuity of operations and greater access to healthcare services.

The program’s initial focus is on COVID response and recovery-related activities such as testing, contact tracing, treatment, training health professionals, vaccine scheduling and administration, medical oversight post-vaccination, and follow-up. Collaboration technologies – including voice and video platforms – have a significant role to play here for contact tracing; COVID testing and vaccine administration coordination, training and oversight; and delivery of essential clinical services by telehealth. As a critical mass of citizens gets vaccinated, the focus will shift to capacity building, and the H8F funding will allow FQHCs to expand clinical service offerings and access to care using telehealth technologies.

HOW CAN HRSA H8F FUNDS BE UTILIZED

Some examples of use cases where collaboration technologies can build FQHCs’ healthcare capacity are listed on the program’s website, and have been summarized below:

• Maintaining & Increasing Capacity for Primary Care Services – Expanding and enhancing health center telehealth capacity to perform triage, deliver care, support care transitions, and support follow-up via telehealth. Support access to virtual care for patients with unstable/no housing or other barriers to accessing care. Supporting care coordination with other health care providers for patients that require hospitalization or other advanced care and treatment not available through the health center. Providing short-term health services to individuals recovering from an acute illness or injury. Enhancing or expanding access to behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) services.
• Recovery & Stabilization – Enhancing and expanding the health care workforce and services to meet pent up demand due to delays in patients seeking preventive and routine care; address the behavioral health, chronic conditions, and other needs of those who have been out of care; and support the well-being of personnel who have been on the front lines of the pandemic. Enhancing patient activation and engagement, including through virtual and in-person outreach and education, self-management programs and techniques, partnerships with families and caregivers, patient-centered care coordination, and other evidence-based interventions to support self-care. Increasing team-based and inter-professional service delivery through both in-person and virtual visits to provide continuity of care.
• Infrastructure: Minor Alteration/Renovation (A/R), Mobile Units, & Vehicles – Facilitating access to mobile testing and vaccinations, as well as other primary care activities. Reconfiguring space to maximize the ongoing use of telehealth technology (e.g., configuring spaces to better accommodate video screens and creating telehealth command centers).

TAKING ACTION TO ACCESS ARP FUNDS

HRSA H8F funds have already been allocated to FQHCs based on a formula that includes the number of patients served, among other factors. FQHCs must now submit paperwork to be able to access the funds which includes a budget detailing how the funds will be spent and a “use case” justification. As with much of the stimulus funding, there is no exhaustive list of “eligible vs ineligible” items; instead, FQHCs should align their intended use of funds to the funding priorities (which are broad in scope). Matching the challenges faced by the FQHC with the use of funding to address those challenges and then aligning technology expenditures to the funding priorities is the clearest path to ensure your proposed expenditures are approved.

For more information or support on how to construct that justification, or on grant funding in general, please feel free to contact the Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP) at grants@poly.com. The PGAP team will also bring in technical and telehealth experts from the Poly team to assist with case development and designing solutions that match your FQHC’s needs.

“When we shut down in March 2020, I thought we’d adjust over a short break,” New Jersey educator Esther Loor explained to us, “…but when two weeks became four, and four became six, and then it was the remainder of the school year… it was an interesting transition, to say the least.”

Due to the pandemic, Esther and thousands of her fellow educators around the world, suddenly found themselves, as she describes it, “locked in front of their computers” unable to stand-up, demonstrate on whiteboards or smartboards, or simply walk around in the natural style that they had always been used to. Then, as in-person learning began to resume, the requirement of teaching to in-class students and remotely connected students at the same time became even more daunting.

Classrooms equipped as ‘distance learning studios’ were rare, generally very expensive to build, and complex to operate. Educators found themselves sitting at desks and providing a less than optimal experience to both sets of students through no fault of their own.

Esther, whose husband just so happens to be a tech geek, began a project to find tools that could help her teach in these odd circumstances that the world has found itself in. She saw an offer online from Poly’s Services team to obtain a free, expert consultation to assist organizations with adopting technology to cope with the pandemic and she reached out for help. Poly answered the call and told Esther about the Poly Studio USB.

Esther’s school already had PCs and collaboration platforms that were working without incident. What they didn’t have was a way to allow educators to teach in a natural style in a hybrid environment consisting of both in-classroom and at-home students. The Poly Studio USB could simply connect to one of the PCs they were already using, be placed on a desk, and allow remote participants to see and hear the teacher as if they were in the classroom.

The Poly Studio USB utilizes an EPTZ (electronic pan-tilt-zoom) camera that has no motors and makes no distracting noises or motions in the room that could distract students. The ‘production rules’ that capture the perfect shot of the speaker as they move about the classroom are embedded in the device. They are NOT coming from a connected PC as with most of the other products on the market. This means the speed at which the Presenter Tracking follows the teacher is exceptionally quick, simulating exactly how an in-person student would follow the action – all automatically without any buttons to press or settings to adjust. Its exceptional sound pick-up and speakers also enable remote students to hear the teacher clearly – allowing for natural conversations between the remote students and the teacher.

In Esther’s words, the Poly Studio USB “unchained and unshackled” her so she could again just “teach at the board like she’s always done.” Her remote students experienced the same high-quality distance learning as that of a fully equipped classroom studio costing tens of thousands of dollars. Only all she needed was a sub-one-thousand-dollar device that required no formal installation.

Hear what Esther had to say in her own words.

School systems around the world have turned to the Poly Studio USB (and other outstanding Poly products) to enable them to meet the new challenges of educating both in-person and remote students with superb quality and at previously unheard-of low costs. (Click here to take a look at the Boston Public Schools for another example).

If you’d like to find out more about the Poly technology that can transform a classroom, learn how to get help with obtaining grants, or arrange for your free consultation with a Poly expert, go to our website, or reach out to your Poly representative to get more information.