Community leaders, members of the provincial government, as well as minister of Indigenous services, Mandy Gull-Masty gathered at the future site of the Virtual Health Hub on Whitecap Dakota First Nation on Friday. Construction is underway as workers prepare the site for building a remote healthcare facility. “We were the inventors of Medicare,” said Dr. Ivar Mendez, director of the Virtual Care and Remote Presence Robotics and Virtual Health Hub. “And I feel that the Virtual Health Hub is the next stage. It’s actually the medicine chest of the future.” Dr. Mendez gave a presentation on the vision and mission of the Virtual Health Hub to Gull-Masty. “It really spoke to the innovation that this project is delivering in the community,” said Gull-Masty. “I cannot stress that I was blown away by the level of shift it was bringing in the mindset of healthcare delivery in remote, Indigenous community.” The hub will provide healthcare services to rural and remote communities as well as First Nations from a centralized location on Whitecap Dakota First Nation. The hope is that patients can be seen before needing a trip to the emergency room, lowering the demand on an already stressed healthcare system. This model was proven during a pilot project at a long term care home in Saskatoon. “In one given month, there would have been 58 people transported to the E.R.,” said Chief Darcy Bear of Whitecap Dakota First Nation. “And because of the technology we had, only 8 people had to go to the emergency room. This is the kind of work we’re doing.” Health minister Jeremy Cockrill says discussions between Dr. Mendez and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to make sure the Virtual Health Hub is well-integrated within the current healthcare system are underway. That way a patient can transition seamlessly when coming to a larger centre for additional healthcare services. “Should any of these patients in the north need to come to a tertiary centre after that ultrasound occurs, or after other services occur, we want to make sure that experience is seamless for patients coming from the north.” Mendez says this model of healthcare delivery can be implemented in urban settings too. “We hope that this model is a little bit like the tail that wags the dog,” said Mendez. “That will be a model that could be instituted in the mainstream healthcare system. I think the model that we created is eminently scalable. That could be scaled to other jurisdictions around the country.” Bear says construction is expected to be finished in 2027. “This will be a great project, 568 days right?” said Bear to the construction workers. “I’m holding you to that. Let’s go.”
