Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (TSXV:RHT or OTCQB:RQHTF) (“Reliq” or the “Company”), a technology company focused on creating innovative mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions for Community-Based Healthcare, is pleased to announce that the pilot of its remote patient monitoring solution for diabetes patients with Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Wen Health Centre in Sioux Lookout, ON will be significantly expanded thanks to funding provided to SLMHC by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch at Indigenous Services Canada. In addition, the Company is pleased to report that it met with the Office of the Premier of Ontario at Queen’s Park in Toronto by invitation on September 20, 2018 to provide an update on the progress of this pilot to date.
“We are pleased to announce that the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada has provided new funding to SLMHC to expand the current pilot of our iUGO Care remote patient monitoring platform with diabetes patients living on reserve in Northwestern Ontario,” said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. “The original pilot was funded by Ontario’s Health Technologies Fund (HTF), and it is exciting to see that the Federal government also recognizes the value of providing high quality care to these patients at home on reserve. There are over 100,000 First Nations people living on reserves in Ontario and over 600,000 individuals living on reserves across Canada. Many of these reserves are in very remote settings that can only be accessed by plane, boat or ice road. This pilot is intended to validate the use of a virtual care delivery model to improve health outcomes in patients with geographically-limited access to healthcare within their own communities.”
“Dr. Crossley and I were very pleased to be invited to meet with the Office of the Premier of Ontario last week to provide an update on this important and evolving pilot project,” said Dr. Richard Sztramko, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Reliq Health. “Reliq is proud to be working with the Government of Ontario, Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Wen Health Centre (SLMHC) and the Government of Canada to address the healthcare challenge of poor access to care for chronic disease patients living in remote and rural communities. Studies have consistently shown that remote monitoring and virtual care significantly improve glycemic control and reduce hospitalizations in diabetic patients. The iUGO Care model can help patients avoid the consequences of poor glycemic control such as foot ulcers and amputations, which cost the Ontario healthcare system over $400 million annually. The positive impact of a virtual care solution like iUGO Care on patients’ quality of life is remarkable.”
Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Wen Health Centre (www.slmhc.on.ca) in Sioux Lookout, Ontario provides health services to all residents in a large area of Northwestern Ontario that includes four municipalities and 28 First Nations communities, including the Nishnawbe-Aski communities north of Sioux Lookout, the Treaty #3 community of Lac Seul First Nation, Hudson, Pickle Lake and Savant Lake.
