The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) in Burk's Falls is once again open to area residents.
The facility was forced to close in September when the coordinator, the only person at the OTN, went off on maternity leave.
However, the municipality was able to help and a former OTN employee, Domenique Davies, returned on an interim basis, says Kevin MacLeod, the executive director at the Family Health Team in Burk's Falls.
"We understand the importance of the service to the community and we're glad to have Domenique back for the next year-and-a-half," MacLeod says.
It's the second time this year the office, located in the same facility as the Family Health Team, has re-opened after a shutdown.
MacLeod says the first closure was earlier in the year when much of the province was put on lockdown because of COVID-19.
The office didn't re-open until around July when the province began to allow some facilities to reopen.
MacLeod emphasizes that although the Burk's Falls OTN experienced a second closure in September, patients had alternatives, unlike the COVID-forced closure.
One of those options was to make the drive to Huntsville and use the OTN facility there.
MacLeod says the role of the OTN coordinator at the local site is "to connect the patient with the specialist.
"But the coordinator also performs any required assessments," he says.
In fact, the OTN coordinator carries out a range of functions.
For example, prior to the actual virtual appointment, the coordinator will carry out functions on behalf of the specialist, which could include taking the patient's vital signs and also taking photos of any lesions or wounds the patient may have and sending them to the specialist.
During the virtual appointment, the OTN coordinator takes notes for the patient and, if necessary, can carry out more assessments on the patient for the specialist.
But the coordinator's work isn't done yet.
Following the appointment, the coordinator has other responsibilities, which include liaising with the patient's family doctor in the event more follow-up tests or appointments are needed.
Sometimes the coordinator can also review with the patient some of the information the specialist gave the parties.
MacLeod says the workings of the OTN are similar to a person walking into a doctor's office with the only real difference being the visit is virtual because "you're doing it through a computer screen."
MacLeod says a big advantage with the OTN is it avoids travel to southern Ontario communities, which is a big plus in the winter when there are times the patient would have to travel in snowy conditions.
The Burk's Falls OTN is funded on a part-time basis through Ontario Health North and is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Because it's outfitted with only one employee, only one patient at a time can use the telemedicine service.
MacLeod says the local OTN is well used by Burk's Falls and area residents and has seen increased usage over the years.
Last year alone, he says, the part-time facility hosted 278 events.
MacLeod says that means there were 278 occasions when people didn't have to travel outside the region to receive care.
"That is a huge impact when you think about it," he says. "The time, money and effort it would have taken for those families to travel elsewhere could have been tremendous."
- Rocco Frangione, Local Journalism Initiative, North Bay Nugget
