Children with special needs will have easier access to medical experts with the launch of the telehealth project. Children and Families Minister and Okanagan Vernon MLA Tom Christensen told a news conference, the video-conferencing technology helps families within the Interior Health region, overcome transportation and economic barriers. "It is an innovate and expanding approach to delivering care to children and families who need it, when they need it and importantly, where they need it, at home." The service will be based out of the North Okanagan Neurological Association's Child Development Centre in Vernon. Interior Health's Chief operating officer for the Okanagan Joanne Konnert says it's the way more health services will be delivered in the future, and she uses a small BC community as an example."This brings together a network of experts so we will not have pediatricians or child psychiatrists or speech language therapists in the town of New Denver. We won't in our wildest dreams ever be able to do that but through this project we will be able to offer those resources to families and kids so that we can help them."
Dr Bob Peterson of Child Health BC says this is the first phase of the project. "This is to establish and provide some of the infrastructure support to allow for the NONA centre to move forward as the hub." Peterson two more telehealth sites will be added within the Interior Health region, over the next two years. The $287,000 funding for the project comes through Child Health BC whose lead benefactor is the Overwaitea Food Group.
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