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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]
Congratulations to Dr. Carys Massarella for receiving the YMCA Women of Distinction Award – Health Category
Dr. Carys Massarella is an emergency physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and is the lead physician for the Transgender Care Program at Quest Community Health Centre in St. Catharines. Dr. Massarella sees and treats transgender identified clients and is a leading expert in transgender care. She is an assistant clinical professor at the DeGroote School of Medicine and also lectures widely on transgender health care. Recent appearances include TEDx: The Depathologization of Trans Identity, TEDx Hamilton: The false Narrative of Deception, and the CBC Doc Zone documentary Transforming Gender. She was the first transgendered person to be a president of a hospital medical staff anywhere in the world and was named one of the World’s 50 Transgender Icons by Huffington Post.
Hamilton Opioid Surveillance and Monitoring
Hamilton Public Health Services is collaborating with Hamilton Paramedic Services, Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and community partners to provide timely opioid-related information to the public. Between January 10, 2017 and April 23, 2017, Hamilton Paramedic Services responded to 94 calls related to opioid overdoses. Most opioid overdose cases (80%) were male, and the average age of cases was 36 years. Opioid misuse is the third leading cause of accidental death in Ontario. A poster can be printed by clicking here. For more information on the Hamilton opioid monitoring site: visit www.hamilton.ca/opioidmonitoring
Listed are some informative websites. The materials and other information provided by these sites are for educational, communication and information purposes only and are not intended to replace or constitute the giving of medical advice or treatments by your physician.
About Kids Health – The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto
Hamilton Opioid Surveillance and Monitoring
Mental Health – Canadian Mental Health Association
Travel Information – Travel Health Notices
Women’s Health – Women’s College Hospital
For more links and materials please visit our Internet Resources Page.
