TELUS expands Health for Good™ program with new Mobile Health Clinic in Peel Region

BRAMPTON, Ontario, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, at a local community event in Peel Region, TELUS announced its commitment to expand the company’s innovative Health for Good^TM program with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Peel Dufferin Branch. The CMHA Peel Dufferin Mobile Health Clinic powered by TELUS Health, a specially-equipped clinic on wheels, will provide essential primary medical care, mental health care and addiction supports directly to underserved citizens in Peel Region including Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

“At TELUS, the core of our passionate social purpose is our commitment to enabling better outcomes for our fellow Canadians,” says Jill Schnarr, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship at TELUS. “We believe that everyone should have access to healthcare when and where they need it regardless of their socio-economic status, which is why we have committed $10 million to expand our TELUS Health for Good program to communities across Canada over the next five years. We are proud and excited to provide these much needed services to Peel Region alongside our dedicated partner, CMHA Peel Dufferin Branch.”

Already active in Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Waterloo Region, and Halifax, these state-of-the-art Mobile Health Clinics operate in communities where frontline care is urgently needed and act as a vital link between the community and local health authority. The program helps to remove many of the barriers that Canadians living on the streets face in receiving medical care, and will support over 20,000 patient interventions per year nationwide.

Estimates show that 235,000 individuals experience homelessness in Canada in a given year. They also typically lack a documented medical history that can be referenced by healthcare practitioners. By facilitating better continuity of care, these services help those who cannot easily access traditional medical care, yet are in urgent need.

“According to a recent study, on any given night in Peel Region, 922 people are homeless and many also have addictions or mental health needs.  In fact, 55 per cent of those who are homeless in this study also identify as having mental health issues and 31 per cent as having addictions,” said David Smith, CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Dufferin.  “Bringing the Mobile Health Clinic, powered by TELUS Health to Peel Region is great news not only for those unable to receive primary care or addictions care due to access barriers, but also for those hesitant to seek out mainstream services due to stigma.  Now these ‘at-risk’ members of the community will have access to the healthcare they need via the Mobile Health Clinic at one of the daily clinic sites throughout Peel.”

The Mobile Health Clinics are equipped with TELUS Health’s electronic medical record (EMR) technology and TELUS LTE Wi-Fi network technology. Skilled practitioners will be able to collect and store health data, examine results over time, and provide better continuity of care to patients who previously had undocumented medical histories. The medical clinic is divided into two main areas: one for patient reception and mental health care and a second more spacious area with an examination table and a physician/nursing workstation which will help to improve patient privacy and allows the team to treat patients with the dignity and respect they deserve.

For more information about the TELUS Health for Good program, visit telus.com/allconnectedforgood.

About TELUS Health for Good
In 2014, TELUS was inspired by Doctors of the World, an organization that had been delivering healthcare services on foot in the streets and parks of Montreal, QC for a decade, with nurses equipped with nothing more than clinical expertise and a backpack of medical supplies. Today, through numerous partnerships, volunteers, and the power of technology, that inspiration has become one of the most efficient and innovative mobile healthcare delivery tools in the world to reach the homeless. By bringing healthcare directly to the communities and people that need it most through the TELUS Mobile Health Clinics, TELUS aims to remind fellow Canadians that they are not alone, that they are cared for, and that there is indeed the promise of a friendlier future for everyone in our city and well beyond.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with $14.7 billion in annual revenue and 15.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. We leverage our global-leading technology to 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. TELUS Health is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world’s most established brands.

Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all Canadians for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired our team members and retirees to contribute more than $700 million and 1.3 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

About Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Dufferin
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Peel Dufferin currently provides a variety of mental health and addictions services for those aged 16 and older including a Street Outreach program that specifically serves the local homeless population, a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic (five locations across the region), Assertive Community Treatment Team, and 24/7 Crisis Support offered in partnership with local police services. 

As the nationwide leader and champion for mental health, Canadian Mental Health Association facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness. 

For more information visit, http://cmhapeeldufferin.ca/.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Saara Rahikka
TELUS Public Relations
[email protected]
(647) 465-4596