Question Period Note: DIGITAL SUPPORTS AND VIRTUAL CARE

• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada put in place a range of digital supports to help Canadians get the information, resources and care they need.

KEY MESSAGES
• Canadians need access to readily available digital tools and resources to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, including education, information, mental health and substance use supports, alerts, screening tools.

• The Government of Canada is working closely with provinces and territories, vendors and stakeholders to make these tools widely available to Canadians and their families.

• This investment is supporting virtual care services so that Canadians can safely engage with their regular health providers through telephone, text or video-conferencing, to have their health needs met. It also means they can continue to access specialist services throughout this time of uncertainty.

• This investment also enabled creation of Wellness Together Canada, a free online portal of virtual mental health and substance use supports. By using the portal, individuals have free access to different levels of mental health and substance use support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ranging from information and self-assessment tools, to support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals for confidential text session or phone calls with instantaneous interpretation in 200 languages.

IF PRESSED ON VIRTUAL CARE

• The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to support the rapid uptake and use of virtual care services.

• Supporting the expansion of virtual care in Canada helps reduce the pressure on health systems and provides Canadians with needed health services and authoritative information in a safe and secure manner, through telephone, text, or video-conferencing, in addition to in-person visits.

• Our government has signed agreements with all provinces and territories, which will provide a total of $150M to support enhancements to virtual care.

• In addition, we are providing up to $50M to Canada Health Infoway to develop pan-Canadian standards on secure messaging and videoconferencing, and provide support to provinces and territories to implement virtual care initiatives.

IF PRESSED ON PRIVACY

• Privacy considerations were – and continue to be – front and centre at every stage of these initiatives.

• Vendors are bound by the privacy protective terms that are inserted in all contracts that involve personal information.

IF PRESSED ON MENTAL HEALTH AND/OR SUBSTANCE USE

• The Government of Canada recognizes that COVID-19 is creating stress and anxiety for many Canadians, particularly those who do not have ready access to their regular support networks.

• That is why the Government launched an online portal for mental health and substance use supports: Wellness Together Canada. The portal makes it easy for individuals living in Canada to access self-directed tools and find credible information on mental health and substance use issues.

• It also connects individuals across Canada to peer support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals for confidential chat sessions, phone calls and online counselling.

• The $62 million provided in Budget 2021 will ensure that these valuable services continue to be available and aligned with the needs of Canadians in 2021-22.

IF PRESSED ON ADDITIONAL PLANNED ACTIVITIES IN THIS AREA

• Our government recognizes that this is an unprecedented time for Canadians, and are continuing to explore how we can best take action in innovative ways.

• We will continue to work closely with provinces and territories and other partners to evaluate needs and adapt digital supports as the pandemic evolves.

• Recognizing that virtual care and digital systems are powerful tools to improve access to health care, the Government committed in its election platform to continue working with provinces and territories to advance virtual care.

• Health Canada continues to monitor the Wellness Together Canada portal by supporting data collection, reporting and evaluation to ensure the portal’s value and impact to Canadians.

Support for virtual care (May 3, 2020)
• On May 3, 2020, the Prime Minister announced $240.5M to support virtual care and digital tools for Canadians. As agreements are finalized and announced, they will be posted on Canada.ca.
• Of this, funding of $150M is flowing to PTs through bilateral agreements for enhancements to virtual services focused on secure messaging and file transfer, secure videoconferencing, remote patient monitoring, patient online access to test results, and back-end supports to integrate these tools within existing digital systems.
• In addition, Canada Health Infoway has received up to $50M to develop pan-Canadian standards on secure messaging and videoconferencing and support PTs as they implement new initiatives pursuant to the bilateral agreements. To date, Infoway has led consultations on standards with all jurisdictions, with a view of identifying key priorities and informing the standards development process.
• Health Canada is working with provinces and territories to identify where support is needed most on virtual care and supporting infrastructure. As part of this work, Health Canada is supporting key organizations (Infoway, CIHI, CADTH, Centre for Digital Health Evaluation) to provide insight on the implementation of virtual care.
COVID-19 self-assessment tool (March 21, 2020-June 20, 2021)
• Developed in collaboration with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, this tool was available to all Canadians through the Canada.ca website and the Canada COVID-19 app (see below). While active, the self-assessment tool provided guidance over 1.6 million times.
• Its intent was to complement PT self-assessment tools and empower Canadians to make informed decisions on the appropriateness of COVID-19 testing and when to access other resources like telehealth, primary care providers and emergency departments.
Canada COVID-19 app (March 31, 2020-June 30, 2021)
• Accessible via mobile and web-enabled devices, this nationally available app provided an integrated platform for Canadians to receive trusted information and engage on issues related to COVID-19. While active, over 1 million people downloaded the app.
Portal for mental health and substance use supports: Wellness Together Canada (April 15, 2020)
• Wellness Together Canada is a free online portal for virtual mental health and substance use supports, available 24/7 in all provinces and territories in both official languages. It is available online at https://ca.portal.gs/
• Depending on their needs, individuals living in Canada can access different levels of support, ranging from information and self-assessment tools to connecting to peer support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals for confidential text sessions or phone calls. It also provides individuals living in Canada the opportunity to assess their mental health and monitor their progress as they engage in their chosen care option.
• Three broad types of supports are available:
o Triage and self-monitoring tools: These are self-directed tools to guide and connect users to credible and appropriate promotion and prevention resources. They also help with determining the level of need as well as self-managing mental health and substance use issues.
o Mental health promotion tools and resources: These tools and resources promote mental health as well as prevent poor mental health, mental illness and problematic substance use. These will focus on enhancing protective factors (e.g., resilience, coping, social support and social networks) and addressing risk factors (e.g., substance use, social isolation, discrimination and stigma).
o Live psychosocial supports: The portal also provides confidential triage support, chat sessions, phone calls and online counselling with peer support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals.
• These supports complement, and do not replace, existing provincial and territorial services. Use of Wellness Together Canada is closely monitored to ensure that tools and supports best align with the needs of Canadians. New resources are continuously added to the portal to support Canadians in addressing diverse mental health and substance use needs.

Get Updates on COVID-19 (April 30, 2020)
• The Government of Canada put in place an opt-in email subscription service called “Get Updates on COVID-19.” The service provides valuable updates to those Canadians who would like to be alerted to updates on the COVID-19 situation in Canada.
CovidTrends through the WeatherCAN app
• CovidTrends, a tool from the Public Health Agency of Canada is available through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s WeatherCAN app and provides Canadians with summary data about COVID-19 that is specific to their area.
Health Canada continues to explore other digital tools with a view to providing Canadians with the information and resources they need to stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KEY FACTS

• In May 2020, $240.5 million was committed to support Canadian health systems to accelerate their efforts to meet health care needs through virtual tools and approaches.

• Of this, $200M is supporting work in health systems to expand deployment of virtual care. Funding also helped launch a suite of digital tools, including an online self-assessment tool, a mobile app to provide trusted information and resources and an online portal for access to mental health and wellness supports.

• Budget 2021 provided an additional $62 million in 2021-22 for the Wellness Together Canada portal for continued services to support the mental health and well-being of Canadians, bringing the total investment up to $130 million to date.