Patients in the Valley can now see the doctor in a unique way.

Telehealth is actually a video teleconference way of performing a regular doctor's appointment.

The Harrisonburg Community Health Center has teamed up with the University of Virginia to provide prenatal care for high-risk pregnant women in the community.

The medical director sits in on the appointment while the high-risk obstetrician at UVA performs the visit with the patient.

This allows the patient to receive the same care as if she were actually in Charlottesville. This provides the patient with specialized care that she otherwise couldn't receive.

"It's very important because, since these women have been designated as having a high-risk pregnancy, it's critical that they attend all of their prenatal care visits, because that is going to support the best birth outcome possible," says Harrisonburg Community Health Center Executive Director Christopher Nye.

Telehealth was started in the area for high-risk pregnancies, but the office has actually already expanded to help HIV-positive patients and will continue to expand in the future.