COVID -19 Chronicle - Update December 2020

At Northern Light Health, we continue to use telehealth to serve the needs of our patients during COVID-19 and the use of the service continues to grow across the state. At Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Michael Ross, MD, regional medical information officer, is watching what he predicts is an important transformation in healthcare delivery. “We are seeing extensive use of telehealth throughout Northern Light,” Dr. Ross explains, “not only for primary care, but for medical specialties like Cardiology, Neurology, Rehab and Rheumatology. Psychiatry is the highest utilizer of telehealth, providing unique benefits to those who require access during this difficult time. The technology has been a lifeline and will be a cornerstone going forward, particularly while we continue to work to slow the spread of COVID-19. It’s easy to use and it is secure. For a rural state like Maine, this is the silver lining of the pandemic. This is a technology whose time has come.” Jacob’s Story Charlotte Ala was concerned that cancelled speech therapy visits at Northern Light AR Gould in Presque Isle would cause her five-year-old son, Jacob, to lose the ground he had gained. However, Jacob’s speech therapist, Sydney Humphrey, made a seamless transition to video conferencing for Jacob’s therapy. “As a therapist, it really allows me to be creative in how I present material to help my patients reach their goals. Because our clinic serves patients across Aroostook County, we have discussed the possibility of telehealth in the past, but the COVID-19 social distancing has become the catalyst to fast track our efforts.” According to Ala, telehealth is working beautifully for Jacob. “The warm and welcoming environment that we were so accustomed to at the hospital has continued with telehealth. It has been wonderful to watch Jacob not only maintain skills he’s already learned, but also build new ones. His therapist works closely with us, just as she would in the hospital setting.”

Chief Medical Information Officer Michael Ross presenting to Northern Light Health staff

Sydney Humphrey, Speech Therapist

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