Virtual Health Hub

From all of us on the Virtual Health Hub team, we wish you and all those close to you a joyous holiday season and a new year filled with joy, happiness and hope! https://lnkd.in/ggXtgaPv Photo: Elbow, Saskatchewan © I. Mendez (2023) #VirtualHealthHub #VHH #HappyHolidays

Thank you to the Canadian Amazon Web Services (AWS) Healthcare team for coming to Saskatoon to spend the day with us at VHH! It was a pleasure to bring everyone together and host such a productive and insightful working meeting, and we are excited about the possibilities for collaboration and partnership ahead. #VirtualHealthHub #AWS #AmazonWebServices #VirtualHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #CanadianHealthcare #FutureofHealthcare

Several members of our team had the incredible opportunity to represent Virtual Health Hub at the 18th International Congress on Circumpolar Health in Halifax this week, where we made a strong impact with 10 oral presentations on various aspects of virtual healthcare. It was an inspiring experience to share our insights and research, connect with industry leaders, researchers, and service providers, and to contribute to the future of healthcare innovation in Canada. Congratulations VHH team! -- #ICCH18 #VirtualHealthHub #HealthcareInnovation #VirtualHealthcare #CanadianHealthcare #CircumpolarHealth #FutureofHealthcare #DigitalHealthcare #HealthcareLeadership

As virtual healthcare continues to rapidly evolve, it's essential that we ensure tomorrow’s healthcare professionals are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively utilize remote presence technologies. Earlier this week, we demonstrated the audiovisual communication capabilities and diagnostic tools of the Teledoc Vita robot for Saskatchewan Polytechnic Health Sciences staff at their Simulation Centre for potential use in training students. From across the city, Dr. Mendez connected with the robot remotely to navigate and move throughout the teaching area, communicating with the staff via video conferencing to provide real-time consultation and diagnostic assessment. By enabling real-time communication within the clinical environment, this technology has great promise for the education and training of healthcare professionals. It enables connections with expert clinicians to provide essential guidance during patient assessments, virtual consultations, and timely care decisions. This collaborative approach not only boosts confidence but also enriches knowledge and cultivates valuable hands-on experience, ultimately enhancing the quality of care delivered to patients. -- #VirtualHealthHub #VHH #SaskPolytech #SaskHealthcare #CanadianHealthcare #VirtualHealthcare #DigitalHealthcare #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthcareEducation #HealthcareTraining #HealthcareRobotics

We were delighted to present at the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Virtual Care Research Expo at Wanuskewin Heritage Park earlier this week. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with researchers, healthcare providers, leaders, and partner organizations to share about Virtual Health Hub, our ongoing work and research, as well as to showcase some of our virtual care technologies. Thank you to all who participated for an informative and inspiring afternoon! The presentations can be seen at https://lnkd.in/gRtRwrJc

We are pleased to announce that applications for the next cohort of the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies’ Virtual Health Hub Assistant program are now open! Beginning February 3, 2025, this unique 19-week applied certificate program equips learners with the foundational skills and knowledge succeed in the rapidly-growing virtual healthcare field, and to provide vital support for both healthcare practitioners and patients in their home communities. Applications are currently being accepted from from Stanley Mission, Wollaston Lake, La Loche, Fond Du Lac, and Whitecap Dakota First Nation. Learn more and apply at: https://lnkd.in/gedq8zQU #virtualhealthcare #VHH #SIIT #saskhealth

Today is World Mental Health Day - a reminder that mental health is just as important for our individual and community wellbeing as physical health, and to treat each other as well as ourselves with kindness and empathy. At Virtual Health Hub, we recognize expanding and enhancing access to mental health services in rural and remote areas is essential for promoting equity, improving quality of life, and empowering communities to thrive. We are committed to helping break the stigmas surrounding mental health and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of location or background, have access to safe, respectful, and empathetic care. #WorldMentalHealthDay #BreaktheStigma #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthCare #CommunityHealthcare #InclusiveHealthcare

It was a pleasure to have special guests from Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc. (KIM Inc.) visit us earlier this week. KIM is an Indigenous-led organization currently supporting health and wellness services for 23 First Nation communities in northern Manitoba. Thank you to Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin; Nadine Erickson, Chief Nursing Officer; Anita Crate, Keewatin Tribal Council Nursing Officer; and Jonathan Fleury, Norway House Cree Nation, IT, Broadband and Digital Health Specialist for joining us for a demonstration of our virtual care technologies, as well as discussions on how we can collaborate together to recreate the virtual care initiatives that Virtual Health Hub has pioneered in Saskatchewan. We’re greatly excited about this partnership and looking forward to the new opportunities it will create for enhancing overall healthcare access and equity. #VirtualHealthHub #VHH #KIMInc #VirtualHealthcare #FirstNationsHealth #HealthcareInnovation

Today, September 30, is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. On this day it’s important that we take time to learn from and honor the survivors of the Canadian residential schools, their families, and communities, as well as consider how we can meaningfully contribute towards reconciliation. We understand that true reconciliation requires genuine dedication to not only acknowledging the lasting impacts of the residential school system, but to actively addressing the inequities stemming from these injustices. As part of Virtual Health Hub’s mission to enhance healthcare access in Saskatchewan, we are committed to listening and engaging with Indigenous communities and leadership to dismantle systematic barriers, eliminate racism, and deliver culturally sensitive and safe care. We encourage everyone to wear orange today to honor residential school survivors, as well as check out local community educational and cultural events to learn about the impact of these schools and the ways we can all work towards reconciliation.   #TruthandReconciliation #OrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters #NationalDayforTruthandReconciliation #September30

Tahto Awâsis Asitakimâw – Every Child Matters – ᑕᐦᑐ ᐊᐚᓯᐢ ᐊᓯᑕᑭᒫᐤ⁠ 🧡 ⁠ SIIT is proud to be collaborating with @hardpressed to bring SIIT student, Karalyn Cameron's orange shirt design to life for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Now available in limited quantities on unisex and youth t-shirts at Hardpressed. https://lnkd.in/g92fs7T9 100% of the proceeds from this design will be donated to Saskatoon Survivors Circle, PA Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, and Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services.⁠ ⁠ BEHIND THE DESIGN ⁠ Karalyn’s concept for this design was inspired during a conversation with her younger cousin, Chad Cameron (12), about the significance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. When she asked what he would like to see on an Orange Shirt design, he sketched a turtle and suggested adding children running hand-in-hand. They chose the turtle to reference Turtle Island, and the various Indigenous stories in which the turtle symbolizes life and the earth. “Despite the history our people have with Canada, it is still our home and it will always be our home,” she notes. Karalyn intended to capture her cousin’s vision in the design to showcase a child’s interpretation of what “Every Child Matters” means. Hardpressed's design team collaborated with her to bring it to life.⁠ ⁠ Karalyn was raised by residential school survivors who were forbidden from speaking their language and practicing their Cree culture. As a result, Karalyn and her family never got the privilege of learning Cree from a young age. She has recently begun studying Cree as a way to reclaim her culture, with her first learned words being “Tahto Awâsis Asitakimâw,” meaning “Every Child Matters”. It was important for her to have these Cree words incorporated in the design in a way that it could be read and learned by both the wearer and the observer of the shirt. Karalyn’s hope is that we can all teach and learn from each other, and “show how resilient us Indigenous people are, and that we are all on this land together.”