Wednesday March 25, 2020 ~ LANGFORD
by Mary Brooke, B.Sc. ~ West Shore Voice News
At the City of Langford Council meeting of March 19, 2020, Council approved $400,000 in funding support for an online based COVID-19 self-assessment pilot project.
The initiative, led by pharmacist Mike Forbes, provides a telemedicine-based call centre for Langford residents concerned about COVID-19. The call centre (778-600-0240) is taking calls seven days a week, 9 am to 9 pm.
The call centre is staffed by a team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and call attendants who are committed to ensure Langford residents can access the necessary tools, advice, and resources without having to leave their homes, thereby decreasing the spread of COVID-19. After a telephone consultation with a call attendant, residents may receive advice on self-isolation/quarantine measures, be referred for a telemedicine consultation with a nurse or doctor, or be directed to follow-up directly with 811.
This pilot project is aimed at taking pressure off the provincial 811 health information call centre lines which have been experiencing exceptionally high call volumes. It also aligns with the Provincial recommendations of keeping people who may be infected at home and not potentially infecting other members of the population by visiting walk in clinics and or a doctor’s office in person.
If medication or medical supplies are needed for the Langford residents, Forbes Pharmacy, like many pharmacies in Langford, is also able to deliver products directly to homes, it was stated by the City in a news release earlier this week.
“Langford took this creative and proactive approach to address this serious situation, limit the spread of COVID-19 and help keep its residents safe, ” says Mayor Stew Young.
As part of launching this service, a personal donation of $30,000 was provided by Stew Young.
Initial results from the first two-days (March 21 and March 22) of the help line operation are as follows:
- Incoming calls: 529
- Nurse Outbound calls: 149
- Doctor Consults (on-line visit): 22
- Serious cases that need testing: 6
- 2 people directed to the Emergency Room
- Website visits: 10,600
- 40 calls in the first three hours on day 3 (March 23: 9 am to 12 noon)
This telemedicine platform and digital collaboration technology is powered by Ollo Health. Ollo Health is a BC-based technology company that exists to provide more accessible and comprehensive healthcare by improving collaboration between healthcare professionals. The platform utilizes advances in technology to improve both quality and access to care for our patients. For more information visit www.covidlangford.com