As rates of homelessness and fatal drug
overdoses continue to soar, TELUS increases its Health for Good
commitment across Canada to
$16 million through 2027
KAMLOOPS, BC, Sept. 18,
2024 /CNW/ - Today, TELUS, in partnership with ASK
Wellness Society, announced the launch of the newest Health for
GoodTM mobile health clinic that will bring primary
health care and harm reduction services directly to people
experiencing homelessness across the BC Interior. Services will
initially be provided in the cities of Kamloops and Merritt, with future plans to expand to
Penticton. The announcement comes
at a time when Kamloops, the third
fastest growing city in Canada, is
experiencing one of the highest rates of fatal overdoses per capita
in British Columbia, owing to the
convergence of multiple factors, including the ongoing toxic drug
supply crisis, a 51 per cent increase in the number of people
experiencing homelessness, and pressures on the health-system
overall. The ASK Wellness Mobile Health Clinic powered by TELUS
Health will help address the urgent and increasing needs of these
local communities, expecting to support over 4,000 patient visits
per year.
"At TELUS, we are driven by our collective desire to leverage
our technological leadership and human innovation to build
stronger, healthier communities," said Patrick Barron, Vice-president, Corporate
Citizenship and Community Investment, TELUS. "We're pleased to
announce we've increased our overall commitment to the TELUS Health
for Good program to over $16 million
through 2027 and are thrilled to partner with ASK Wellness Society
as they share in our belief that every Canadian, regardless of
their socio-economic status, should have access to healthcare and
social support services when and where they need it."
ASK Wellness Society currently provides services and housing to
over 3,000 people per year, including individuals identifying as
Indigenous. ASK Wellness Society and TELUS are committed to
offering culturally safe and relevant health services - the planned
nursing staff will work alongside an outreach worker on board the
clinic, meeting clients where and when they need support. In
addition, the mobile health clinic will be equipped with TELUS
Wi-Fi network connectivity and Collaborative Health Record (CHR),
enabling onboard health care practitioners to collect and store
data, examine results over time, and treat patients with previously
undocumented medical histories for better continuity of care. The
space is divided into two main areas: one for patient reception and
consultative services, and a second private area, with an
examination table and a provider workstation. This design will
allow the team to treat patients with the dignity and respect they
deserve.
"For over 30 years, ASK Wellness Society has been providing
critical health care services to our local communities," said
Bob Hughes, Executive Director, ASK
Wellness Society. "With increasing local demand, we're thrilled to
partner with TELUS to bring the mobile health clinic to communities
across Kamloops and Merritt. This initiative enables our team to
bring essential health care services directly to individuals who
are in great need, removing some of the most common barriers to
accessing healthcare, and ultimately helping improve the health and
well-being of our local communities."
The partnership with ASK Wellness Society is the latest
expansion to TELUS Health for Good's national program which has
enabled 240,000 cumulative patient visits in 27 communities across
Canada since inception. For more
information about TELUS Health for Good, visit
telus.com/healthforgood.
About TELUS Health for Good
Since 2014, TELUS Health for Good has been connecting
underserved individuals to the medical and mental health care they
need using the power of technology. Backed by a commitment of
$16 million through 2027, TELUS
Mobile Health Clinics have now supported over 240,000 patient
visits across 27 Canadian communities since inception in 2014.
Equipped with TELUS electronic medical records technology, and
fueled by compassion, our Mobile Health Clinics provide essential
primary medical care to individuals living on the streets. The
program also supports women experiencing marginalization with
access to free TELUS Health MyCare Counselling sessions and
supports low-income older adults to live more independently and
enjoy peace of mind with subsidized access to TELUS LivingWell
Companion™.
About ASK Wellness Society
Originally founded in 1992 as the AIDS Society of Kamloops, the Society was formed to promote
health and wellness and to provide education to strengthen the
Kamloops community. The Society
soon recognized the need to house individuals before they could
focus on their health. From there, the Housing First initiatives
began. In 2016, the Society changed its name to ASK Wellness
Society to reflect the need to serve all people in the community
who struggle with their housing, health, or employment. With
the vision of working towards a society that recognizes the value
and potential of each individual, services are currently provided
to over 3,000 people per year in the cities of Kamloops, Merritt, and Penticton including those who live within the
750 units of housing offered throughout the continuum of Streets,
to Homes, to Health, to Employment.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading
communications technology company with more than $20 billion in annual revenue and over 19 million
customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice,
television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose
is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to
drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our
longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every
aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer
service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades
TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading
network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS'
global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide
Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to
the people, resources and information that make our lives
better.
Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS Digital
Experience (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer
experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers
next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for
global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals,
including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and
fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and
others.
TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides
employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing
solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health
professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS' strong
digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client
service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental
health outcomes covering over 75 million lives, and growing, around
the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital
insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods
enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store,
helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a
way that is traceable to end consumers.
Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens
for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give
where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute
$1.7 billion, including 2.2 million
days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and
unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company
in the world. Together, let's make the future friendly.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com,
follow us at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on
Instagram.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Saara Rahikka
TELUS Media Relations
saara.rahikka@telus.com
SOURCE TELUS Communications Inc.