URegina, FNU, hospital receive $1.27M from Canada for virtual health care pilot project

The University of Regina, the Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre at the First Nations University of Canada, and the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital have received $1.27M from the Government of Canada to support a pilot project that will provide virtual health care services to people in northern First Nations communities. The pilot project will receive funding for 5 years, and will provide culturally safe and community-directed pediatric health care to communities that do not have access to pediatric specialists. Researchers will conduct virtual clinical visits using tablets, which are expected to be convenient and portable. “Developing a virtual health system in First Nations communities that is guided by community engagement allows the focus to be on caregiver engagement and customizing software,” said URegina adjunct nursing professor Dr Gregory Hansen. “We hope that more communities will sign on once we get started.”