Northumberland County residents continue to have growing access to medical specialists with the addition of two neurologists to the medical team at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) in west Northumberland.
NHH recently announced the recruitment of two neurologists, Dr. Karen Ho and Dr. Courtney Anne Scott.
With the support of NHH’s telemedicine co-ordinator, the two doctors will support local primary care providers and specialists by offering virtual neurology consultations through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN).
The neurologists will offer the consultations for reasons including, but not limited to, stroke and transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis, demyelination, seizures, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, and vertigo.
Over the past decade, Northumberland residents’ ability to access specialty care and specialists has been expanded as a result of the virtual opportunities provided by the OTN, Jennifer Gillard, NHH’s vice-president of patient experience, public affairs and strategic partnerships, told kawarthaNOW.
NHH has used the OTN platform in an effort to provide specialized services for patients close to home, while reducing wait times.
“NHH has made a conscious effort in recent years to better connect local patients to specialized (and often hard to access) medical expertise through technology, specifically the (OTN),” said NHH’s Dr.Mukesh Bhargava, chief of staff, in a media release.
“Building on past successes in mental health, rheumatology, and genetics, we have also been successful at enhancing local access to neurologists through OTN. The recruitment of doctors Ho and Scott builds on that.”
The OTN, one of the largest telemedicine networks in the world, uses two-way videoconferencing to provide access to care for patients in hospitals and other health care locations in a way that’s aimed to be efficient and accessible for both patients and providers.
“We are excited to begin 2024 by welcoming these two neurologists to NHH’s clinical team, and in doing so, continuing to make progress toward our strategic priority of connected care, close to home,” said Susan Walsh, NHH president and CEO, in the release.
“Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Ho and Dr. Scott and thank them for taking this opportunity, through virtual technologies, to bring their specialized and much-needed expertise to patients in west Northumberland County.”
Dr. Ho is a consultant neurologist serving inpatient, remote and outpatient neurologic populations. She has practised as a general neurologist for nine years, while running a busy ambulatory practice in addition to teaching medical students, NHH noted.
She completed both her Doctor of Medicine and training in adult neurology at Queen’s University in Kingston. Prior to medical school, Dr. Ho earned an Honours Bachelor of Science in immunology with high distinction from the University of Toronto.
“I am excited to be joining the NHH medical team through the (OTN),” Dr. Ho said in a statement.
“My priorities as a specialist have always been to provide excellent and compassionate clinical care. I look forward to supporting the patients of west Northumberland County and
expanding treatment options for neurological diseases within this growing community.”
Dr. Scott is a neurologist who specializes in general and vascular neurology. Since 2017, she has worked at Mackenzie Health, a district stroke centre, in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
She completed both her Doctor of Medicine and neurology residency at University of Toronto. In addition to her medical training, Dr. Scott completed a fellowship in vascular neurology at Boston Medical Center in Boston.
“I am thankful for the warm welcome to (NHH) and Northumberland County,” said Dr. Scott in the release.
“Through my work with the OTN clinic, I am looking forward to collaborating with area providers to better support patients with general and vascular neurological conditions,” Dr. scott said.
NHH asks referring providers to complete the NHH clinical telemedicine consult request. Patients are then scheduled and notified of their appointment, and any specific details, by the NHH OTN nurse.
For a list of virtual services being offered through NHH, visit the hospital’s website at nhh.ca/Patients/PatientCareServices/virtual-care.
