Millions of Americans use the emergency department as their medical home because they have nowhere else to go. But the ER was not designed to support a healthcare journey, let alone provide cost-effective medical treatment. Dr. Matthew Thompson, a board-certified emergency physician, understands this dilemma all too well. His profound professional and personal patient experiences led him out of the ER to create a technology-enabled healthcare organization focused on collaboration, optimism, and breaking free from bias. Now, he’s partnering with the City of Jacksonville, local health systems, and safety net clinics to bring virtual care and navigation to the uninsured. This service will be one of the country's most innovative and collaborative health programs, offering anytime access to care and referral services for the patients who need it most.#Collaboration #Telehealth #TeleMedicine #HealthlinkJAX #Healthcare #VirtualHealthcare #Virtual Dr. Matthew Thompson is an emergency physician, telehealth innovator, and the co-founder/CEO of Telescope Health, a national virtual healthcare, analytics, and technology company that removes barriers to care. He and Telescope Health have been recipients of multiple awards, including Tech Leader of the Year, AWS Health Equity Innovation Grant, and JBJ Community Impact Award. Thompson currently partners with many Jacksonville non-profit organizations to improve access to care in at-risk populations. He is an optimist and problem solver who helped the City of Jacksonville provide testing and virtual care for 45,000 members of the NE Florida community during the pandemic. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx