2011 Article Archive:
November - December 2011
Telehealth come to Shoal Lake
(left – right) Lisa Hogg: Shoal Lake-Strathclair Health Centre Business Office,
Roseanne Yaremchuk: ARHA Area Manager, Kathy Geekie: Shoal Lake District Foundation
Thanks to a generous donation from the Shoal Lake and District Foundation, telehealth video-conferencing equipment was purchased and installed at the Shoal Lake – Strathclair Health Centre and on May 16, 2011 the MBTelehealth site was certified and became operational. Residents of Shoal Lake and Strathclair are now able to attend specialist appointments using the telehealth connection instead of travelling to see the specialist in person. Staff at the Shoal Lake – Strathclair Health Centre can now access many education and administrative events thanks to the telehealth connection.
June - November 2011
ReFRESH - Interlake RHA - Telehealth Article
May 2011
New Digital Stethoscope Solution at MBT!
Digital stethoscopes are used in the telehealth environment to listen to
heart and chest sounds during live interactive video conference clinical
appointments. MBTelehealth is in the process of implementing a new
electronic stethoscope solution that is user friendly, provides high quality
sound transmission and has been proven to work in low bandwidth sites
such as First Nations communities.
The transition has already begun with the Children’s Respirology Clinic and
the Pediatric Pre-Admit Clinic now using the new solution during their telehealth
appointments.
The stethoscopes are being deployed based on the needs of the providers who use them but all sites that previously had a stethoscope should be receiving their replacement stethoscope by the end of May. Sites will be contacted by their Regional Telehealth Coordinator to arrange training and will be provided with documentation including quick reference guides that will help to ensure they are comfortable and competent in the use of the new stethoscope.
The new solution uses a Littman 3200 electronic stethoscope to connect wirelessly to a software program that comes loaded on a laptop and then connects to MBTelehealth’s secure network to access patient and provider telehealth sites anywhere in Manitoba. It has an interactive interface that allows providers to visualize the sounds they are hearing and to provide direction to the person managing the stethoscope at the patient site by placing a white locator dot on a torso that both sites see at the same time.
The initial implementation will focus on providers who were using the existing stethoscope solution but once all stethoscopes have been deployed, MBTelehealth will engage new and existing providers to demonstrate the quality of the new device and determine if it could enhance their practice.
Any questions about the new device can be directed to jmacdonald@mbtelehealth.ca
Article from the Burntwood Regional Health Authority Newsletter - The Pulse - Spring 2011
April 2011
MORE THAN 100 TELEHEALTH SITES BRING HEALTH-CARE SERVICE CLOSER TO HOME
News Release - April 14, 2011
Manitoba Families Save More Than One Million Kilometres in Travel Every Year While Receiving Access to 200 Medical Specialists: Oswaldl
 The number of Manitoba Telehealth sites has officially passed the 100-site mark, bringing health-care services closer to home for rural and northern families, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today.
"Telehealth provides health-care services to families in every corner of the province that at one time were only offered in urban centres," the minister said. "This service reduces the stress and expense for patients and their loved ones because they can be treated at health facilities where they live and don't have to travel long distances to get care."
MBTelehealth uses live, interactive video conferencing via a high-speed, secure link to support the delivery of specialized health-care services, continuing education and administrative connections between urban, rural and northern
communities across Manitoba. Nearly 25 per cent of Manitoba Telehealth sites are in First Nations communities, in partnership with Health Canada.
More than 200 specialists provide services in over 60 different specialty areas as varied as oncology, dermatology and renal health. Specialized equipment connected to the system allows physicians to listen to a person's lungs over the network with a digital stethoscope, or zoom in on a skin condition with a patient camera, enabling thorough assessments along with one-on-one communication.
In addition to benefits for patients and their families, MBTelehealth's teleconferencing allows health‑care staff to attend training sessions and meetings remotely. This feature saves the health system almost $1 million annually in staff time and travel expenses, which is redirected to patient care, the minister noted.
"With our wide geography, there are huge benefits to bringing services closer to home," said Liz Loewen, director, co-ordination of care for MBTelehealth, a program administered by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. "The availability of Telehealth can allow an earlier transition for patients returning to their communities following hospital stays in Winnipeg, as well as better discharge planning and follow up. It also improves the likelihood of early diagnosis and treatment."
MBTelehealth, a nationally recognized award winning provincial program which is administered by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, was used more than 10,000 times in the 2010-11 fiscal year, and more than 59,000 times since its inception in 2001.
January - March 2011
Northern Super Highway
 MBTelehealth, in partnership with First Nations Inuit Health and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs welcomes the northern communities of York Landing, St Theresa Point, Wasagamack and South Indian Lake to MBTelehealth. Health Care workers including Health Directors, Nursing, Community Health Representatives, National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, Building Healthy Communities, Brighter Futures and others participated in the integration of telehealth services into their current work processes over this past spring and summer.
Each of these distinct communities has its own unique challenges due to isolation and difficulty accessing health care services.
South Indian Lake is situated on an arm of the lake that joins South Bay to the main body of the lake, and is located approximately 130 kilometres northwest of Thompson, and 64 air kilometres from Leaf Rapids. Provincial Road #391 which connects both Thompson and Leaf Rapids also extends to South Bay, providing access to the ferry/barge which operates on a year-round basis. South Indian Lake has a population of approximately 1300 people.
St. Theresa Point First Nation is situated on the west shore of Island Lake, 610 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The community is accessible by plane, by boat in the summer and by winter road in the winter, resulting in a very high cost of transportation on a year round basis. The population of St. Theresa Point is approximately 4000 people. The main dialect of St. Theresa Point is Oji-Cree, with English being a part of the everyday language.
Wasagamack First Nations is located 610 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The community is accessible by plane and boat in the summer and by winter road in the winter, resulting in a very high cost of transportation on a year round basis as well. The main dialect of Wasagamack is Oji-Cree as well, with English being a part of the everyday language. The population of Wasagamack is approximately 1500 people, with approximately 100 people being of non-treaty status.
York Landing is situated on the eastern bank of the Nelson River, half-way between Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay and is located 120 kilometres northeast of Thompson, with a population of approximately 500 residents. In January 2010, a new, state of the art federal nursing station opened in the community.
The implementation of telehealth services into these new locations will help reduce the amount of travel required for clinical, administrative and educational activities, in addition to accessing opportunities that were not feasible prior to the implementation of telehealth. Deployment of telehealth to our remote northern communities is always an exciting adventure. Whether access is by airplane, helicopter, boat or winter road MBTelehealth can provide the “Northern Super Highway” to future health care services and sessions.
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