It's gone from two nurses on 'phone duty' to seven nurses answering about 125 calls a day.
The Durham Health Connection Line helps residents find services and provides health education advice.
Rita Lajoie, a public health nurse with Durham Region, says the type of calls include such topics as parenting, travel health and immunization, prenatal inquiries, how to quit smoking, breastfeeding help and post-partum depression.
The health line was started in 1996 by the Region's health department as a way to provide information on its services.
The primary focus of the line is health education and promotion, Ms. Lajoie says.
Many of the calls deal with immunization issues, such as a parent calling after a child has been suspended from school for not being immunized, she notes.
"The calls we field, they're not too happy. They're upset Johnny has been suspended," she says.
New mothers call in with questions about breastfeeding, she adds.
People who are going on a trip will call to find out about immunizations, such as "what they need and where to access it," Ms. Lajoie says.
"We've had calls where people are short of breath. We have them call 911," she says. "People have called with suicidal thoughts. We keep them on the line, keep them talking. We get the mobile crisis unit and the police out to them."
The nurses also help connect people to local resources, Ms. Lajoie says, adding the seven nurses have more than 200 years of combined nursing experience.
"If they call and want to access a doctor or they need help with breastfeeding, who do you call?" she asks.
If a parent has a two-year-old with behaviour management issues, "we can go through an assessment. A lot of family doctors don't know. They (parents) can call us and we know," she says.
Installing car safety seats is another "critical issue," Ms. Lajoie says, adding only one clinic is held each month.
"The clinics fill up quickly. People are surprised they can't roll up to the fire department or police and get a seat installed. They need to book one month in advance. That's an issue," she says.
Offering the services is important because a family doctor may have limited time to deal with some concerns, Ms. Lajoie notes.
Last year, about 29,400 calls were made to the health line. Between January and March of 2009, the average number of calls was 125 a day.
There's no limit on the time a nurse will spend with a caller, Ms. Lajoie says.
All calls are documented on confidential computerized records, which is mandated by the College of Nurses of Ontario.
The health line has access to a translation service for people who don't speak English. "It's really important and we do have that service," Ms. Lajoie says.
The line operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Any questions of a medical nature are redirected to TeleHealth Ontario, she adds.
TeleHealth Ontario is a 24-hour, seven-day-a week service, providing medical information primarily focussed on illness.
The Durham Health Connection Line number is 905-666-6241 or 1-800-841-2729.
Those wanting TeleHealth Ontario can call 1-866-797-0000 or TTY at 1-866-797-0007.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Keith Gilligan
Quelle/Source: News Durham Region, 09.07.2010
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