Louise Paquette, Chief Executive Officer of the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) has been awarded with an inaugural Champions of Telemedicine Award from the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN). She received the award for her work in helping more Northerners access care through the unique telemedicine technology. The NE LHIN has the most telemedicine sites of all LHINs, with 300 active sites. The use of this technology has expanded more than five-fold since 2007, with NE LHIN providing funding for telemedicine nursing positions, partnering with OTN to host forums on its use, and promoting initiatives that make use of technology like Telehomecare.
The NE LHIN is one of the early adopters of Telehomecare which is technology that brings chronic disease patients the care they need, right in their home. Telehomecare Nurses monitor each patient’s health status remotely, offering education and health coaching. The patient’s primary care provider is kept informed with ongoing updates. To date, more than 1,500 Northerners have participated in the program, which pairs people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart failure with nursing coaches and remote sensing technology to learn how to better self-manage their chronic conditions.
As a Northerner, I know that it isn’t always easy to access specialist care without having to spend time and money travelling
As a Northerner, I know that it isn’t always easy to access specialist care without having to spend time and money travelling,” said Paquette. “Making better use of technology to deliver health care is our Northern ticket to increasing access to care closer to home.”
For more information, visit the NE LHIN website.