Hamilton, August 30, 2017 – The Hamilton Academy of Medicine (HAM) congratulates President Dr. Dennis DiValentino and HAM members, Dr. Rick Tytus and Dr. Steven Tytus, on being awarded the 2017 Social Innovation grant from Joule, a subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Association.

“This is a very exciting time for the Hamilton Academy of Medicine and our community,” said Dr. Dennis DiValentino, President of HAM. “I am pleased to announce the start of a new telemedicine initiative, RAMcare.”

The $25,000 granted to RAMcare will advance a mobile telemedicine initiative aimed at delivering improved care to individuals with mental illness, addictions, immobility and those unable to access a health care provider. This initiative will respond to the Hamilton Spectator’s “Code Red” series which highlights significant disparity in health outcomes across various sectors within the Hamilton community. The funding will help to breakdown these barriers and improve health outcomes for patients living in areas designated as “Code Red” zones.

“To reach this marginalized health sector, we will use virtual care technology to replicate an in-person encounter with a physician from anywhere in the city.” said Dr. DiValentino, “The mobile medical units deliver comprehensive consultations in real time and are equipped with otoscopes, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and more.”

In partnership with the Good Shepherd Centre, the units will be placed in convenient locations for immediate access to a healthcare provider when care is urgently needed. “At Good Shepherd we work with individuals whose circumstances often necessitate specialized medical needs,” said Brother Richard MacPhee, Executive Director of Good Shepherd. “This is a unique application of telemedicine for individuals who don’t often work well with traditional models of medical access.  It will allow them to virtually visit a physician and address their care requirements from an environment that is familiar to them.”

On behalf of the co-founders of RAMcare, the Hamilton Academy of Medicine thanks the CMA, their company Joule, the OMA District 4, and the Good Shepherd Centre.  We are looking forward to implementing this pilot project and are excited for the opportunity to address this health care challenge in Hamilton.

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The Hamilton Academy of Medicine is a local voluntary professional association funded by physicians for physicians. The Academy binds the medical community of the Greater Hamilton Area, promoting a spirit of cooperation and unity, while meeting the educational, social and political needs of its members. The Academy acts at the territorial branch society of District 4 of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) providing a full range of programs, services and benefits to assist member physicians.

For more information, please contact:
Jessica Wooder, Executive Director
Office: 905-528-1640
Email: [email protected]