DUNCAN – Cowichan Tribes and Mustimuhw Information Solutions have announced a partnership with McKesson Canada‘s RelayHealth to improve health care for members of the Cowichan Tribes First Nation. The 18-month pilot project will help improve the health of 400 patients from the Cowichan Tribes by providing them with secure, personalized access to their own electronic health records and the ability to directly message their health care providers online.
This project – Closing the Circle of Care – honours the Cowichan Tribes’ indigenous teachings and approach to care by reinforcing the importance of empowerment and the need to work collectively for improved health and wellness. By encouraging citizens, families, the community and their health care providers to be collaborators in health care, each participant becomes an active part of the community’s health care team.
“We will now be able to view all of our patients’ records – whether they are from the community health nurse, the primary care team, or a family physician in town – in a single file,” said Christina Nishimura, Primary Care Nurse Manager for Slhexun sun’ts’a clinic at Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre. “Not only does this let us better coordinate care for our patients, but by giving patients access to this comprehensive record, it also allows them to schedule their own appointments, view lab results and directly message their full array of care providers with any questions or concerns they may have – it’s as easy as email.”
B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake, representing the Ministry of Health, and Michael Green, CEO, Canada Health Infoway were present at this announcement representing an investment from Canada Health Infoway, who helped make this breakthrough effort possible. Valerie Nicol, Executive Director of the Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice, a collaborating partner for the project was also on hand for the announcement.
For more than 15 years, Cowichan Tribes has been a leader in designing approaches to health delivery and connectivity that reflect a First Nations philosophy of individual empowerment, including the use of the Mustimuhw community electronic medical record (cEMR). Together with RelayHealth this commitment will be taken even further.
“We look forward to sharing what we’ve accomplished with our First Nations partners across British Columbia,” said Mark Sommerfeld, CEO of Mustimuhw. “This is truly a First Nations solution for First Nations health care.”