TORONTO — The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto has been able to drastically increase the number of virtual care visits it can offer to patients during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to Cisco’s Webex cloud-based conferencing platform, said the hospital Monday.
CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and last year, it provided virtual care to more than 3,000 patients from over 550 communities across Ontario. This year, from March to April alone, CAMH’s virtual care visits increased from approximately 350 per month to almost 3,000 per month, an increase of more than 750%, says the news release.
In March, Cisco’s secure Webex technology was rapidly deployed across the organization, enabling the training of upwards of 400 CAMH clinicians — from 50 in February — to deliver virtual care and 1,500 more virtual visits in April. Patients now have more flexibility in scheduling appointments and follow-ups, shorter wait times, seamless communication with clinicians and the ability to receive care securely no matter where they live, says the release.
“While we are apart right now, no one is alone and technology is helping to keep populations and patients connected during this difficult time. This is a pivotal moment for a new frontier of telemental health care in Canada,” said Dr. Catherine Zahn, president and CEO of CAMH, in the release. “There is no going back. The adoption of virtual health platforms will be a permanent and growing fixture of the health care system, and be offered as an accessible, flexible and secure mental health care option for patient care going forward.”
Over a two-year partnership, Cisco Canada has contributed nearly $2 million in technology, funding and services to support CAMH research, develop and build new models of care.
“This pandemic has fuelled the digital revolution in mental health services — it’s been a catalyst for delivering remote care at scale and helping those in need get access during a difficult time,” said Rola Dagher, president and CEO of Cisco Canada in the release.
