Dr. Andrea Somers and her colleagues in UHN's two Emergency
Departments at Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western
Hospital are collecting old mobile phones and giving them to
patients who are homeless, struggling with mental health or
substance use, and socially isolated. The hope? That the phones
will give them better access to medical care and social
services.
Dr. Somers says, "It's really about health
equity...During the best of times, it's a problem trying to
deliver good quality healthcare to someone who you can't reach,
who doesn't have a phone. The pandemic has only amplified that
need."
During this unprecedented time, those who are able to get tested
for COVID-19 may have to wait several days to receive their
results. If healthcare workers cannot contact a patient, then it is
difficult to follow-up. Those who do not own a phone and test
positive for the coronavirus and need to self-isolate, the
challenge lies in being able to access services like
