XRHealth, formerly knows as VRHealth, announced the first Virtual Reality (VR) telehealth support groups for people in isolation due to the coronavirus, where patients with similar ailments can gain support from each other and from doctors associated with the XRHealth telehealth clinics.
XRHealth clinics are now certified in Boston, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Washington D.C., Delaware, California, New York, Texas, North Carolina, and many others and are covered by Medicare and most major insurance providers. Due to the immediate need for this technology because of social distancing in response to the spread of coronavirus, XRHealth will make the technology available sooner than originally expected and it will officially be available to the public on April 1st.
XRHealth support groups are tailored for patients with the following conditions: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, breast cancer, menopause, an injury that affected motor function, anxiety, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, substance abuse, post-stroke rehabilitation, brain injury and there will also be a general support group for the elderly population that is most impacted by the coronavirus.
The ability for patients to connect with each other in VR and with a group moderator is powered by Foretell Reality, a subsidiary company of The Glimpse Group and a platform provider of VR environments and toolsets that facilitate authentic human interactions between remote individuals and groups in life-like, secure and virtual spaces.
“One of the most troubling issues during the coronavirus crisis is that people are forced to be isolated and we believe that virtual support groups in VR will be able to ease the loneliness and isolation,” Eran Orr, CEO of XRHealth, said in a statement.
Dror Goldberg, General Manager of Foretell Realty added: “VR brings people together into the same immersive environment, fostering intimate interaction in powerful ways that are not possible via other mediums of remote communication. Specifically for group therapy, studies have shown that self-representation in VR through avatars helps patients overcome initial hesitation and facilitates the sharing of personal information and emotions.”
Patients can join by submitting a request to enroll for the XRHealth services on the company website.