The site is part of Projet Telesante Manitoba, a MBTelehealth project established in 2007 to link people in urban, rural and north communities to health-care experts in other areas. The project is a collaboration between MBTelehealth, regional health authorities, Canada Health Infoway and Manitoba Health.
"Expansion of video-conferencing technology linking health-care providers to clients will ensure Interlake residents will get the care they need closer to home," said Kevin Beresford, Interlake Regional Health Authority chief executive officer. "Linking people to health-care expertise at a distance reduces their travel time while increasing their access to specialized services and continuing education."
The RHAs Central Manitoba and South Eastman Heath invited IRHA to join Projet Telesante Manitoba, which received funding from Health Canada through Société Santé en français and Conseil Communauté en santé du Manitoba (CCS.)
Beresford; Kathy McPhail, RHA Central Manitoba CEO; Liz Loewen, MBTelehealth director; Société Santé en français and CCS were thanked for their efforts in making the site possible.
"The impact of having bilingual services in a community never fails to amaze me," said Loewen. "Congratulations St. Laurent for making your vision a reality."
Interlake riding MLA Tom Nevakshonoff, who brought greetings on behalf of Health Minister Theresa Oswald, said the new site will help address area health-care issues.
"It's important to establish more of these sites across the province and we hope to see significant expansion at an annual rate in the neighbourhood of 10-15 per cent," said Nevakshonoff. "I know we're in tough times economically; we're all aware of the recession across the country and around the world, but our recent budget states emphatically our resolution to focus on core areas as we see them. They include health-care, education, justice, family services and housing. Your health comes first. If you don't have your health or access to health-care services, you're not a happy Manitoban."
ABOUT MBTELEHEALTH
MBTelehealth sites use a satellite or ground video link to connect specialists or other health-care providers to patients, who see, hear and talk to each other on a television screen. There are more than 100 clinical specialties that can be accessed through the MBTelehealth Network, including speech language pathology, dermatology, neurology and cardiology.
There are 87 sites in 58 communities on the MBTelehealth Network, including sites in Arborg, Ashern and Hodgson.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Heather Robbins
Quelle/Source: The Interlake Spectator, 04.06.2010
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