SLMHC's Mission to Bridge Gaps and Serve Remote Communities

Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) is a fully accredited 60-bed hospital and a 20-bed extended care facility, built on the sacred land and traditional territory of the Lac Seul Ojibwe Nation. They provide health services to all residents of Sioux Lookout and the surrounding area, as well as 4 road-accessible communities and 28 fly-in communities.

SLMHC provides a broad range of basic and specialized services along the continuum of primary health care. These include diabetes care, mental health counseling, and acute and outpatient programs.

Traveling to Sioux Lookout from the remote northern communities can cost upwards of $3 000 per round trip for a patient, who often needs assistance for safe travel. SLMHC's aim has always been to facilitate access to healthcare for its’ patients living in remote communities. The organization seeks ways to bring care directly to patients, thereby limiting costs and improving quality of life.

Introducing Ambulatory, Long-Term ECG Solutions with CardioSTAT

Initiated in 2017, a strategic collaboration between SLMHC and Icentia introduced the utilization of 14-day single-use CardioSTAT ECG recorders, later expanded in 2020 to include the implementation of 7-day recorders, catering to patient needs for long-term continuous ECG monitoring. Renowned for their patient-friendly design and showerproof build, CardioSTAT recorders ensure ease of installation, enhancing patient comfort and recording quality throughout the monitoring process.

Successful Partnership to Reduce Diagnostic Costs through Streamlined Remote Monitoring

SLMHC's approach includes shipping CardioSTAT tests to nursing stations in remote fly-in communities, where nurses facilitate the installation of recorders on patients. This streamlined process significantly reduces patient visits, as no air travel is required for patients living in remote communities, and only one appointment at SLMHC is necessary for drive-in patients. Moreover, remote monitoring is simplified, allowing patients to conveniently return recorders to Icentia via mail.

This efficient system not only offers ease of use for patients but also ensures prompt report delivery, granting patients and healthcare providers timely access to crucial results. The collaboration between SLMHC and Icentia exemplifies a commitment to bring care closer to home, leveraging technological advancements to improve access and streamline the monitoring process for enhanced patient outcomes.

THE RESULTS

Furthermore, 92%** of tests extend to long-term monitoring, spanning durations of 7 to 14 days. The program has facilitated early diagnosis for 63%** of patients, identifying at least one arrhythmia, thereby initiating close monitoring. This proactive approach to identifying cardiac irregularities highlights the program's impact in detecting and addressing potential health concerns early on, ensuring optimal patient care and management.

Discover all the services offered by the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre by clicking here.
To learn more about the CardioSTAT solution click here.

*: SLMHC Internal Data
**: Icentia Internal Data