uOttawa partners with The Royal to provide new telemedicine service for students

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Oct 7 2020

The University is proud to announce a new partnership with The Royal that will allow students access to an additional service: A Psychiatric Virtual Consultation Clinic.

Telemedicine delivers real-time patient care via videoconferencing in a secure and confidential manner. It is an effective and novel health service that meets the needs of some of our university community, especially given the extraordinary stress caused by the pandemic.

The Psychiatric Virtual Consultation Clinic is offered via the Ontario Telemedicine Network and is aimed at students who are not currently connected with a psychiatrist and those who cannot access their own psychiatric service provider, being away from home. This will help ensure a seamless continuity of care for our students.

Working in collaboration and leveraging technology, we have created a new level of mental health care that will enhance the services offered at the University of Ottawa for students who are struggling. This is particularly important right now because we know that youth are facing heightened stress, anxiety and loneliness due to the pandemic. Mental health care that students can access from campus or from home will provide the help that is needed in a way that is not only safe but also fits easily into their busy lives."

Joanne Bezzubetz, President and CEO of The Royal

This partnership is aligned with the University's commitment to improving access to mental health services on campus, along with other initiatives such as the President's Advisory Committee on Mental Health and its initial recommendations.

"We thank The Royal for their collaboration. Our overall vision is a campus where mental health and wellness is everyone's business," added Jacques Frémont, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. "We want to have a campus where wellness is embedded in what we do and how we think, one where, even in this highly rigorous academic setting, people come first."

The new telepsychiatry clinic is embedded in the University's Stepped Care approach that provides a host of mental health services to create a circle of care that is integrated within the campus community.