August 26, 2002

Baycrest expands Telehealth service to Northwestern Ontario communities

Toronto, ON – The northwest communities of Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Atikokan will soon have access to Geriatric Psychiatry expertise of Toronto’s Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

Starting in September, mental health professionals affiliated with the District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program in these northwestern communities will use videoconferencing technology to consult with Baycrest’s Psychiatry Department about client cases. Workers will also have access to educational seminars delivered by Baycrest.

“This initiative will allow mental health workers in the district to enhance their skills and knowledge in treating older adults with serious mental illness or dementia,” says David Conn, Director of Psychiatry and Telehealth at Baycrest.

Dr. Conn and others will do the telehealth consults on a weekly basis. The primary focus is on depression and other mood disorders, as well as complications associated with dementia. Because of the large Aboriginal population in some of the communities, a language translator will be used to translate English into the native language of Oji-Cree.

“We are very excited at the opportunity to work with Baycrest in this initiative, and are impressed with their avant-garde approach to newer technologies,” says Sandy Skirten, Coordinator of the District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program. “As part of our program, access to geriatric psychiatry has been a priority due to the challenge of offering a consistent and accessible service over such a wide area.”

The District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program is uniquely designed to fit the needs of the six communities it services over an area of 12,000 kilometres. The program is funded through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care under the Mental Health Branch and administered by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Fort Frances Branch. The program provides psycho geriatric services throughout the Kenora/Rainy River Districts.

This Telehealth outreach is made possible through Baycrest’s membership in the NORTH Network (Northern Ontario Remote Telecommunications Health), a joint venture of the provincial government, the private sector and hospitals in Toronto, Central and Northern Ontario. Its purpose is to enhance the level of medical care in underserved regions, and provide specialist consultations, and continuing medical and patient education via videoconferencing.

In the past two years, Baycrest has also established a Telehealth partnership with the northern communities of Timmins, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake, Chapleau and Sudbury.