My Emergency Doctor was featured in The Warrnambool Standard as part of an article explaining that My Emergency Doctor is working with Western Victoria PHN to provide timely medical advice, reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and minimise unnecessary transfers to regional Urgent Care Centres or Emergency Departments for those living in residential aged care. The article appeared on 28 September 2020.
Telehealth expanded across south-west region to prevent COVID-19 spread in aged care
Almost a quarter of a million dollars is being spent to roll out telehealth services across the region to keep COVID-19 out of aged care homes.
Western Victoria Primary Health Network is allocating $227,400 to 12 residential aged care facilities in western and south-west Victoria.
Cobden Health Residential Care, which has 60 beds and Heywood Rural Health, 45 beds, are among 12 residential aged care facilities in western and south-west Victoria to get the extended service.
The program will be delivered by My Emergency Dr, an Australian-owned and operated 24/7 tele-emergency service that connects patients, carers and clinicians with a specialist emergency physician for direct consultations.
The project aims to increase access to timely medical advice, reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and minimise unnecessary transfers to regional Urgent Care Centres or Emergency Departments for those living in residential aged care.
Access to the telehealth service is available until 31 May 2021, WVPHN chief executive officer Rowena Clift said.
"With the significant uptake in telehealth services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw an opportunity to respond to the primary health care needs of our high-risk populations, including those living in aged care," she said.
"The after hours telehealth for residential aged care project allows us to not only offer greater opportunities to limit exposure to COVID-19 for aged care residents in the Great South Coast and their GPs, but to also alleviate some of the pressure on emergency departments in this very demanding time."
To read the full article in The Warrnambool Standard, please click here.
For more information on how My Emergency Doctor can help Primary Health Networks, visit our Primary Health Network page.
For more information on how My Emergency Doctor can help Aged Care Facilities, visit our Aged Care Facilities page.