By Melissa McDermott
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada, a team of Renfrew County healthcare leaders sprung into action to develop a collaborative, local solution that allows residents easy and safe access to care for urgent health concerns as well as COVID-19 testing –without putting additional pressure on the emergency departments.
"A major concern was that the emergency departments would be in higher demand during the pandemic partly because a significant number of people in Renfrew County and South Algonquin do not have a family physician or wouldn't be able to access their family physician during the COVID-19 outbreak," reflected, Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon, Clinical Coordinator, Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC).
Local innovation in response to a global crisis
In an incredibly short period of time (approximately 12 days), the team designed and implemented the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC) in order to strengthen access to primary care and COVID-19 testing for all Renfrew County and South Algonquin residents. The 24/7 pandemic healthcare service provides virtual family physician assessments to residents who do not have a family physician or cannot access their family physician, in-home assessments by community paramedics, remote monitoring, and COVID-19 testing (i.e. via drive-thru clinics in various communities and at home for vulnerable, housebound patients).
"We focused regionally on how to preserve hospital capacity in the case we experienced a surge of patients," said Eric Hanna, President and CEO, Arnprior Regional Health, who is a member of the VTAC leadership team. "VTAC is one of many complementary and successful strategies we have deployed in Renfrew County to protect our emergency departments."
The VTAC was developed through a collaboration between Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres, the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service, Renfrew County Hospitals and the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, with the support of Ontario Health East.
A meaningful solution that resonates
The VTAC recently surpassed the 10,000 mark for two major milestones. In five months, the VTAC has completed more than 10,000 family physician assessments and the VTAC community paramedics have swabbed over 10,000 residents via COVID-19 testing clinics.
"We've noticed a significant change in the way people are using 9-1-1 as well as emergency Departments," reported Mike Nolan, Chief of the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service, who is also a member of the VTAC leadership team. "We know that many of the people calling VTAC would have, in the past, called 9-1-1 or presented themselves to the emergency department as it was their only choice. For those that primary care providers are concerned about, a community paramedic will go to their home, do a follow-up assessment, test for COVID-19 if required, initiate treatment, and in some cases leave behind remote monitoring devices so they can be managed virtually, 24/7."
Nancy Lounsbury works with the Mobile Mental Health Crisis Team at Pembroke Regional Hospital and has seen how VTAC has benefited her clients during the pandemic.
"I had a client who was experiencing anxiety and needed a referral to the Crisis Team Rapid Access Clinic, but didn't have a family doctor," said Nancy. "The VTAC provided him with the right support in a non-stressful way. This service makes care more accessible for people and takes a load off the emergency departments."
Timely access to healthcare
A key feature of the VTAC healthcare service is the 24/7 medical receptionist team who virtually provide a centralized point of contact to determine the patient's next step, which could include a family physician assessment by telephone or video and/or pre-registration for an upcoming drive-thru testing clinic.
"Our medical receptionist team has played an integral role providing Renfrew County and South Algonquin residents with immediate support to help each person navigate their next steps," said Karen Simpson, Administrative Lead, VTAC and Executive Director, Arnprior and District Family Health Team. "The VTAC infrastructure we have in place has positioned us to meet the changing needs as the pandemic evolves in our communities."
The VTAC team is currently focused on supporting the local communities, especially parents, navigate a safe return to school – and will continue to respond to the changing needs of all residents throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
"Since the pandemic began, our mission has been to ensure everyone in Renfrew County and South Algonquin has timely and safe access to primary care assessment and COVID-19 testing," said Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon, who is also Chief of Medicine at Arnprior Regional Health.
Learn more at www.rcvtac.ca.