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The Assembly of First Nations' Summit on Telehealth gathering that is opening today in Winnipeg, a team of Community Telehealth Coordinators along with their support team from Keewaytinook Okimakanak will be showcasing the tools and strategies they are utilizing to improve community wellness and health services in each of their First Nations. Their stories, demonstrations and experiences highlight the important work being accomplished in their communities as part of Keewaytinook Okimakanak's regional Telehealth project. This project is funded by Health Canada's Health Transition program.

While in Sioux Lookout today, the honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State for Public Health and the honourable Roger Valley, MP for Kenora riding, met with Keewaytinook Okimakanak Health Director Robert Thomas and K-Net's Network Manager Dan Pellerin. In attendance at the meeting was Gavin Brown, FNIHB Regional Director and Mike Lovett, Sioux Lookout Zone Director. Discussions focussed on KO's Telehealth Sustainability and Expansion proposal to Health Canada.

Identifying strategies to ensure the current First Nations Telehealth initiative continues after the Aboriginal Health Transition program is completed in March 2006 is now everyone's priority.

The team from Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telehealth and K-Net will be hosting an operational telehealth environment at the upcoming AFN Telehealth Summit starting on Friday, Sept 23 in Winnipeg. Broadband connections are being installed at the Fairmount Hotel to demonstrate the use of IP video conferencing, telemedicine applications, IP telephone services and on-line First Nations health education services.

Gavin Brown, Associate Regional Director and Richard Leikkari, e-Health Solutions Program Manager from First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada are meeting the next two days in Balmertown with the KO Telehealth team. Discussions include:

• an update on the KO Telehealth initiative
• the sustainability of the KO Telehealth initiative
• the network operations
• the service level agreements

Members of the KO Telehealth team participating in these meetings include Robert Thomas, KO Health Director, Kevin Houghton, KO Telehealth Project Manager, Dan Pellerin, K-Net Network Manager and other KO Health staff members.

The Aboriginal Telehealth Knowledge Circle is holding a Canada Health Infoway Phase 1 planning session in Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Balmertown office. The meeting is scheduled to start Monday, August 22 and end Wednesday, August 24.

The objective of the meeting is:

• Engage stakeholders to build working network and support via ATKC in the development of a series of “Aboriginal Telehealth Toolkits” that can help assist Telehealth development and implementation for and with Aboriginal communities by:
  • Conducting or participating in an “Environmental Scan” to identify processes, requirements and services available for the development of Telehealth services; and
  • Sharing best practices and expertise.

Representatives from the following groups have travelled to Balmertown for this workshop.

• Canada Health Infoway - Robert Vigneault, Telehealth Director (Winnipeg) and Krista Balenko, Program Officer (Montreal)
• ATKC - Steven Fox-Radulovich, Director (West Bay) and Allen DeLeary, Health Consultant (Ottawa)
  • Board Members:
  • Marion Maar, Faculty, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (former Research and Evaluation Coordinator, Noojmowin Teg Health Centre) (Sudbury)
  • Jay Lambert, FN Health Info System Coordinator, FN Chiefs’ Health Committee (Vancouver)
  • Donna Williams, KO Telehealth Program Manager
• NORTH Network - Dr. Rob Williams, Clinical Director (Timmins)
• Canadian Society of Telehealth - Dr. Richard Scott, President (Calgary), Roberta Hildebrand, Executive Director (Ottawa)
• KO Team participating in this meeting
  • Geordi Kakepetum, KO Executive Director
  • Robert Thomas, KO Health Director
  • Tina Kakepetum Schultz, KO Health Community Liaison
  • Kevin Houghton, KO Telehealth Project Manager
  • Brian Beaton, K-Net Coordinator (Sioux Lookout)

Eugene Nicholas, Assembly of First Nations' Health Programs Coordinator is joining the meeting by video conference from Montreal.

Yellowquill College (specializing in First Nation and Aboriginal Education), accepted the challenge to deliver a certified "traditional" in-classroom health program by video-conference. 

Keewaytinook Okimakanak Health programs and KO Telehealth have completed a successful pilot program with Yellowquill College. A week-long in-class "Case Management" program was adapted to be delivered by video-conference. Participants reported that the program was successful and of great benefit to their work. We are now looking at other opportunities to provide certified health education programs by video-conference.

Click here to learn more about Yellowquill College.

Click here to learn more about the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telehealth initiative.

KO Telehealth was invited to attend a Joint Management Committee for the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy specifically around Mental Health Planning for the Province of Ontario. Robert Thomas, KO Health Director, Donna Williams, KOTH Regional Coordinator and Kevin Houghton, KOTH Program Manager attended the meeting in order to present their Tele-psychiatry model.

This special meeting focused around mental health and was identified as a priority to review the projects province wide in order to review the pilot projects in place.

Highlights from the discusions, including the KO Telehealth powerpoint presentation, are posted on the KO Telehealth web site news items. Click here to see the news item about this meeting.

Some of the other meeting participants that gave presentations included:

• Carrie Hayward, Director, Mental Health and Addiction Branch, MOHLTC,
• Miriam Johnston, Coordinator, Aboriginal Health Unit, MOHLTC,
• Kate Andrew, Director, Ministry of Children and Youth Services,
• Janet Binks, Manager, Mental Health Services, Ontario Region, Health Canada
• Elizabeth Manson, Director Tele-psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children,
• Tom Chisel, Director, Treatment Services, Nodin Child and Family Intervention

KO Telehealth invites you to participate in education events offered through video conferencing.  The topics range from Sign Language to Physical Activity for Elders.

Please visit the web site to view all education events www.telehealth.knet.ca (Health Professionals, Education Sessions).  Contact Gayle Reid at gaylereid@knet.ca or 807-735-1381 ext 51304 if you wish to register for an education session.  All are welcome.

From the KO Telehealth web site at http://telehealth.knet.ca ....

KO Telehealth is pleased to announce that the expansion has increased to 16 fully operational KO Telehealth sites. The communities of Webequie and Neskantaga are now operational with comprehensive telehealth services.

The communities of Lac Seul, Bearskin Lake, Pikangikum, Fort Hope and Slate Falls are in the process of hiring Community Telehealth Coordinators over the month of April 2005.

The Community Telehealth Coordinator position has increased from part time to full time to accomodate the growing numbers associated with the program. The CTC's workplans now include a greater variety of responsibilities including the following: Scheduling, Education, Training, Administration, Technical Support, Clinical Support, Translation, Computer Skills, Community Promotion, Community Consultation, Meeting Participation, Liaison with Stakeholders and Partners and Communication Strategy with First Nations on a Provincial and National level, Sharing Knowledge and Expertise from Community Perspective.

Sign Language: Talking Hands - Communication Series presented by Sheila Wilson, Sign Language Instructor

Every Tuesday in April 2005.