Innovative Digital Health Initiative Wins Improved Indigenous Health Award

Congratulations to a team from the Division of Cardiology at UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre for receiving the Improved Indigenous Health Award at the 2024 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Awards Ceremony.

The team, with partners from Weenebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA), have been honoured for successfully introducing the Medly program — a digital health initiative for individuals with heart failure — to six Indigenous communities in the James and Hudson Bay areas.

Utilizing digital tools such as smartphones and smartwatches, Medly enables patients to track their health and symptoms while maintaining communication with their health care team, providing a personalized guidance on symptom management and notifying health care providers of any critical changes in the patient’s condition.

To bring this initiative to life, UHN and WAHA co-developed a cardiovascular model of care that featured regular in-person visits to WAHA’s six communities, virtual care consultations and remote management through Medly to reduce barriers to accessing specialized care for those living in the region.

This project was also made possible by TRANSFORM HF, which led community-based research activities to inform and support the ongoing execution of Medly and secured Ontario Health funding for the program.