• Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails
Connecting Albert County

wellness

Video technology provides treatment without expense of travel

1/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Cynthia Stevens, RN, participates in a virtual education session on Diabetes with Jill Dunfield, Admin Assistant, at the Petitcodiac Health Centre
Keith Steeves didn’t realize the insomnia, nightmares and anxiety attacks that plagued him following his return from active duty in war-torn Bosnia in 1993 actually had a name.  And he certainly wasn’t aware of the help he would find within his own community.

Three years ago, Steeves was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a stress-related condition common to military personnel who have served in the line of fire.  Part of his treatment plan would have required monthly trips to a specialist in Fredericton, however, thanks to Telehealth video conferencing facilities located at the Albert County Health & Wellness Centre, he was able to meet with his doctor without the expense of travel.

Reduces wait times and travel costs

Telehealth is a valuable service made available through the Horizon Health Network that provides patients and physicians with audio-visual meeting spaces for health care not requiring  physical exams.

“The whole idea of Telehealth is that we want to eliminate geography and increase access to the scarce clinical resources we have in our province,” says Krisan Palmer, Horizon’s regional Telehealth manager and clinician in Moncton.

 “This technology allows patients to access specialists or physicians from other cities, provinces or outside the country, without leaving their own community,” says Angela Lawson, Video Conference Operations Coordinator. “It can reduce wait times and mean significant savings for patients in terms of time and travel costs.”

How it works

Lawson sets up the appointment between the physician and the patient. The patient goes to the Albert Health and Wellness Centre for the appointment and is shown to a private room.  Audio/visual equipment allows the physician and patient to connect through a secure network, as if they were in the same room. 

“The quality is excellent, much better than Skype,” says Steeves. “It saved me 18 or 20 trips to Fredericton. I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t need a physical exam.”

In some cases, an additional exam camera and services of a nurse on site allow the physician to conduct examinations, assess vitals, or acquire specimens for further testing.

Lawson says the system is most commonly used for initial consultations or follow-up appointments after surgery and would be of particular value to parents of children receiving treatment at the Halifax IWK Hospital or the Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital.

“Some of our users are patients of the IWK Genetics lab, who wish to do genetic testing for breast cancer, or plastic surgery patients who must be seen every three months or so, ” she notes.  “We do rehabilitation sessions with the Stan Cassidy Centre in Fredericton, appointments with organ transplant specialists in Ontario, or general surgery follow-ups.”

Added benefits


The service also benefits employees at the Albert County Health and Wellness Centre who use it for educational events and meetings, saving the travel to Moncton or further afield. Physicians at The Moncton Hospital use it to consult with colleagues, and for education sessions.

Unfortunately, many doctors don’t know it exists, so it is often up to the patient to ask.  Lawson hopes that eventually more will take advantage of the service, but for now, she encourages patients to ask their physicians if video conferencing is an option for them.  “Right now, people might travel to Moncton on a regular basis for a 10 or 15 minute appointment with a specialist.”

Steeves feels fortunate to have such a valuable service in Albert County and wishes more people knew about it.  “If it became more commonplace – especially to access specialists from outside our region – it could save people and the healthcare system so much money.”

 
For more information regarding the availability of Telehealth services, patients and physicians may contact their local health centre or call Krisan Palmer, Telehealth Clinical Coordinator at 506-648-6042.


Article written by Deborah Carr. Deborah is a freelance writer and an ardent supporter of ''all things Albert County."  www.deborahcarr.ca

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Wellness

    ​Connecting Albert County would like to thank the following supporters & advertisers:

    Platinum supporters
    - Bennett and Albert County Health Care (BACH) Foundation  
    ​- Albert County Pharmacy
    ​​- Hon. Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal


    Gold supporters
    - CBDC Westmorland Albert 
    - ​Albert County Funeral Home​​


    Silver supporters
    - 
    Albert County Chamber of Commerce 
    ​ - Foods of the Fundy Valley​
    - Hon. Mike Holland, Minister, MLA-Albert 

     - Fundy Highlands Motel and Chalets

    Bronze supporters
    - ​Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee (CCRC)

    - Jeff MacDougall, SouthEastern Mutual Insurance ​
    ​

    If you would like to support Connecting Albert County, visit our Advertising page or Donation page. With your support, we can continue to share the news of rural Albert County.

    Comments
    We welcome comments to our blog postings. Please provide your email address and name with your comment, and respect our content guidelines.


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2015 Maritime Orienteering Festival
    ACCHC
    ACHWC
    Active
    Activities
    Addiction
    Adult Learning
    Adult Learn To Curl
    Affordable Housing
    Affordable Transportation
    Albert County
    Albert County Community Health Centre
    Albert County Communtiy Health Centre
    Albert County Health And Wellness Centre
    Albert County League Of Gamers
    Albert County Pharmacy
    Alma
    Alma NB
    Alma Recreation Centre
    Alma Recreation Council
    Alma Rink
    Alma Winter Carnival
    Anglophone East School District
    Anti-tobacco
    Appreciation
    Atlantic Nationals
    Award
    Baby
    BACH
    BACH Foundation
    Basketball
    Bay Of Fundy
    Beach
    Bennett And Albert County Healthcare (BACH) Foundation
    Bennett And Albert County Health Care Foundation
    Bike Marathon
    Birding
    Birdwatching
    Board Of Directors
    Caledonia Activity Centre
    Caledonia Regional High School
    Camp
    Campaign
    Camping
    Canada-wide
    Canadian Orienteering Championships
    Cape Enrage
    Carpooling
    CCRC
    Challenge
    Chase The Ace
    Checklist
    Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee
    CHMA
    Classroom
    Clinical Services
    Community
    Community Adult Learning
    Community Developer
    Community Meeting
    Community Resources
    Coronavirus
    Corona Virus
    Counselling
    COVID 19
    Covid-19
    COVID-19 Testing
    CRHS
    Curling
    Daycare
    Destination Development
    Development Survey
    Diabetes
    Dietitian
    Doctor
    Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
    Drive
    Drug Intervention
    Drug Intervention Program
    Early Childhood Development
    East Coast Kids
    Education
    Elgin Eco-Association
    Emergency Measures
    Emotion
    Emotional Resiliency
    End-of-Life Care
    Event
    Excellence In Aging
    Face Mask
    Family
    Fat Bike
    Fat Biking
    Flu
    Flu Campaign
    Food Allergies
    Food Bank
    Forest Dale
    Forest Dale Home
    Fredericton
    Free
    Friends Of Fundy
    Friends Of The Moncton Hospital
    Frontline Workers
    Fundraising
    Fundy Biosphere Reserve
    Fundy Curling Club
    Gamers
    Gaming
    Gardening
    Gardens
    Garden Tour
    GED
    General Education Development
    General Meeting
    Gentle Yoga
    Golf
    Good Nutrition
    Health
    Health And Wellness Centre
    Health Assessment
    Health Services
    Healthy Habits
    High School
    Hiiisborough
    Hike
    Hiking
    Hillsborough
    Hillsborough Arena
    ​Hillsborough Arena Public Skating
    Hillsborough Consolidated School
    Hillsborough Public Library
    Hockey
    Holidays
    Hopewell Hill
    Hopewell Rocks
    Horizon
    Horizon Health.
    Horizon Health Network
    Horizon's Albert County Community Health Centre
    Hospice SENB
    Housing
    Huskies
    Ice Cleats
    Imagination Library
    IMBA
    Inclusion NB
    Information
    Intellectual Disabilities
    International Trails Day
    Kayak
    Last Wish
    Learning
    Lieutenant-Governor
    Life Skills
    Lighthouse
    Literacy
    Literacy Express
    Little Rocks Curling
    Local Food
    Long-term Care Facility
    Lyme Disease
    Maison Albert House
    Mary's Point
    Masks
    Medical
    Mental Health
    Migratory Shorebirds
    Minor Hockey
    Mobility Van
    Moncton Hospital
    Moncton Outdoor Enthusiasts
    Mountain Bike
    Mountain Biking
    Myths
    National Tire Distributors
    Nature
    NB
    Needs Assessment
    New Brunswick
    Non Profit
    Nutrition
    Nutrition Month
    Open Doors
    Outdoor Elements
    Outdoors
    Outreach Diabetes Case Manager
    Palliative Care
    Pandemic
    Parent-Child Mother Goose Program
    Parenting
    Parks Canada
    ParticipACTION
    ParticPACTION
    Plan360
    Power Outage
    Preschool Education
    Prizes
    Program
    Rappelling
    Restaurant
    Riverside Albert
    Riverside-Albert
    Riverside Consolidated School
    Roots Of Empathy
    Run For Life
    Rural Albert County
    Rural Communities
    Rural Destination
    Rural Literacy
    Rural Transit
    Safe
    Salem
    Sandpipers
    School
    Seniors
    Shepody Food Bank
    Shorebirds
    Sistema
    Skating
    Skiing
    Snowshoeing
    Soccer
    Social Work
    Social Worker
    Sparks Fly
    Sports
    Spotlight
    Spring
    Support Care Assistant Program
    Survey
    Sustainability
    Sustainable Path
    "take A Kid Mountain Biking"
    Talk With Me Program
    Team
    Technology
    Teens
    Teledrive
    Tele Drive
    Tele-Drive
    Tele-drive
    Tele Drive Albert County
    Tele-Drive Albert County
    Testing
    The Shepody Trail
    The Shore-Line Trail
    Tick
    Tips
    Trail Building
    Trails
    Trans Canada Trail
    Transportation
    Urban Rural Rides
    Urban/Rural Rides
    Vaccination
    Vaccine
    Vaccines
    Varsity
    Volunteer
    Volunteer Drivers
    Volunteering
    Volunteers
    Wellness
    Wellness Center
    ​Well Woman Program
    White Rock
    White Rock Recreational Area
    Wilderness
    WIN
    Winner
    Winter
    Winter Activities
    Winter Carnival
    Winter Hikes
    Woman's Health
    Women
    Women Of The Wilderness
    Workforce
    WOW
    Writers Workshop
    Yoga
    Yoga Classes
    Youth
    Youth At Risk
    Youth Impact
    Ziplining

CONTACT
ADVERTISING
CALENDAR
PUBLICATION

SiteLock
Copyright © Connecting Albert County, 2021 | Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada
  • Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails