Mobile clinic will enable Doctors of the World to pursue its mission and go where the needs are to provide healthcare to marginalized Montrealers
For high-resolution pictures of the mobile medical clinic, click ici
MONTREAL, June 20, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Doctors of the World Canada is proud to announce the launch of its very first mobile medical clinic in Montreal, an initiative that is unique in North America. With this state-of-the-art vehicle, the volunteer doctors and the nurses employed by the organization will be able to provide healthcare services to marginalized people in several downtown districts.
"Doctors of the World's mobile clinic will enable us to make healthcare more accessible since we'll be able to go where the needs are and reach out to the most marginalized Montrealers," explained Dr. Nicolas Bergeron, president of Doctors of the World Canada. "In addition to providing basic care, the mobile clinic will make it easier to integrate excluded populations into the public health and social services network."
The Doctors of the World mobile clinic is divided into two main areas: one for patient reception and nursing care, and a second, more spacious area with an examination table and the doctor's workstation. In addition to the volunteer doctor, the team will comprise a driver, a nurse and volunteers. The vehicle will also be equipped with TELUS Health technology for registering patients in the healthcare system.
As is already the case with Doctors of the World Canada's Montreal Project, which has been helping vulnerable people in Montreal for 15 years, the mobile clinic's medical staff will provide care in partnership with some 15 community organizations. In 2013-2014, the Montreal Project's nurses performed more than 3,400 medical procedures on 916 patients.
Doctors of the World has delegations in some 15 countries and operates similar mobile clinics in France and Greece. Experience has shown that this type of service has the double benefit of facilitating access to care and providing a facility well suited to medical consultations.
Doctors of the World's local activities receive financial support from the Ministère de la Santé et des services sociaux du Québec, via the Agence de Montréal, the federal government's Homelessness Partnering Strategy, as well as numerous private donors.
The mobile clinic has been made possible by invaluable support from the LÉGER FOUNDATION, Société de développement social de Ville-Marie, Société de développement économique de Ville-Marie, TELUS, TELUS Health, Intact Insurance and Makivik Corporation.
"In December, I welcomed the plans to expand the SDSVM's service point for the homeless, in association with Doctors of the World," said Montreal's mayor, Denis Coderre. "The launch of this mobile clinic pilot project by Doctors of the World has the same aim: to provide support for homeless people. Alleviating social exclusion and homelessness is of prime concern to our administration. With this initiative, we will be better equipped to take action throughout our territory."
"For the past two years, the SDSVM has been proud to work with the Doctors of the World team, at its service centre for the homeless and now, its mobile clinic. We applaud and support this highly innovative project because it takes a specialized healthcare team out into the street," added Damien Silès, the SDSVM's executive director.
"The concept of a mobile clinic fits perfectly with our mission to provide medical care with dignity, regardless of a patient's origin, social status, citizenship or living conditions," added Dr. Bergeron. "We're very proud of this achievement and, on behalf of the entire Doctors of the World Canada team and marginalized people, I thank our partners for their support."
"The LÉGER FOUNDATION has partnered with the Doctors of the World Montreal project since 1999, so we were quick to agree to a partnership to develop this mobile clinic, which is destined to become an essential service for the most vulnerable among us," added Louis Bergeron, chair of the board of the LÉGER FOUNDATION in Quebec.
"For one of the first times in North America, electronic medical records will be part of a mobile clinic, and we are delighted to make TELUS Health technology available to the benefit of the community," said Paul Lepage, President of TELUS Health. "Our electronic medical records will enable volunteer physicians and nurses to collect information on the health conditions and test results of patients who do not usually frequent clinics. Patients in need will, as a result, be reintegrated into the health system, which has a direct positive impact on the quality and continuity of the care being offered."
About Doctors of the World Canada, whose is president is Dr. Nicolas Bergeron, is an NGO founded in 1999. It is part of a large international network whose mission is to provide and promote access to healthcare for those who are excluded and vulnerable, both in Canada and abroad. Doctors of the World's international network comprises 15 delegations in 15 countries that campaign for the right to healthcare and are active in their own countries and in some 60 developing countries.
SOURCE: Doctors of the World Canada
and interviews: Roch Harvey, executive director, 514-880-8998
[email protected]
Marie-Françoise Hervieu 514-553-0092, [email protected]
Share this article