May 17, 2001

Contact:
Jayne Graham
Communications Consultant
St. Joseph's Health Care, London
519-685-4292, ext. 44034
or pager 690-4103

London Hospitals to Showcase Technology

(LONDON, Ontario) -St. Joseph’s Health Care London and London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) are playing host to over 100 top health care professionals from across Ontario today to showcase the most advanced technology being used at both facilities to enhance patient care.

"Technology is an integral part of patient care in the future", explains Diane Beattie, Chief Information Officer at both St. Joseph’s and LHSC, "and today is a great opportunity for us to share with others how we plan to embrace this new reality and invite them to work with us to further its development."

LHSC is is known internationally as a world-leader in the field of robotic surgery. The world’s first closed-chest robotic assisted cardiac bypass surgery on a beating heart was performed here in 1999. St. Joseph’s Regional Mental Health Care London is leading the way in telepsychiatry. Through the use of a telehealth network, mental health professionals are able to address issues that have challenged the profession in the past such as staff shortages and waiting lists.

But these are only a few of the vast number of technological advances that are being made in London through partnerships with other service providers and the private sector. New technologies, businesses and markets are emerging everyday. St. Joseph’s and LHSC are harnessing the positive aspects of this change and are helping to revolutionize health care delivery in Southwestern Ontario and around the world.

"Information plays a critical role in health care", explains Sandy Whittall, V-P Integrated Strategic Alliances & Networks for St. Joseph’s and LHSC, "and by collaboration and consultation with others, we can only improve upon our information and communication technologies to modernize our health care system. This will, in turn, benefit us all".

Some of the programs being showcased today include:

• Southwestern Ontario Telehealth Network-The Government of Canada recently contributed $2 million for the Southwestern Ontario Telehealth Network which will link 40 hospitals and other providers to improve the efficiency of specialized health services. Services include telelearning, teleradiology, teleconsultation and administrative video- conferencing.
• Thehealthline.ca-An alliance of local health care partners which will use the web to deliver health system information to more than half a million people in London, Middlesex and the surrounding area with the launch of this internet portal.
• Electronic Health Records- St. Joseph’s is in the midst of creating an electronic health record system that allows, surgeons, family doctors, laboratories and other care providers to have instant, simultaneous access to their patient’s files. Once completed, London will have one of the most advanced and integrated electronic health record systems in existence.