Canadian Healthcare Technology Logo
  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us

GE [April2023]

GE [April2023]

Enovacom eHealth banner

Enovacom eHealth banner

Telehealth

Saskatchewan launches text service for mental health

August 4, 2021


Tracie RislingSASKATOON – As the province of Saskatchewan continues to reopen, a text-based service for the province is enabling people to contact a wide variety of mental health and wellness supports. The service, called Be SaskWell, is aimed at helping people with anxieties that have emerged during the COVID-19 crisis, and which may have deepened as restrictions are lifted.

Dr. Tracie Risling (pictured), an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Nursing and research lead with Be Saskwell, says many people are not aware of all the different mental health supports that are out there. The app, Risling said, is designed to help close that gap.

Be Saskwell (https://besaskwell.memotext.com/) just finished a 10-week pilot and now the service has launched its first official 10-week cycle.

“It’s an easy text signup to join and then it delivers 10 weeks of digital mental and wellness resources, and it’s really customizable to fit people’s needs and what they’re looking for,” Risling said.

She said the pilot demonstrated that texting is an effective way to connect with the public and to deliver resources they need. Members of the public can also participate online, using the web, or through a regular phone call. (In some areas of the province, people may not have texting services.)

After taking a short questionnaire, people are then connected with various resources. “There are so many exceptional online resources out there that people just don’t know about,” Risling said in an interview on Global TV’s News Morning Saskatoon.

She noted that the service is proactive and will check up on the person a few days later, to see how he or she is doing and whether the resources were useful. If not, others will be offered.

Tyler Moss, community and advisory board lead at Be Saskwell, said: “We’re checking in and just making sure how people are doing and offering them the ability to connect to services we otherwise probably have never heard of, myself included.”

Moss added, “It has been an interesting and unique process to see the service come together, as all the different resources have been populating on the app and become accessible to those that need them.”

The project was made possible by a team of partners across the country, including the University of Saskatchewan, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, and Ontario-based Memotext.

CAMH recently released survey results showing that a third of Canadians have moderate to severe anxiety about returning to their pre-pandemic routines.

Risling says the program is planning on growing its service in order to help reach more people. The organization is also looking to gather more information on how it can be improved moving forward.

An additional 10-week cycle is being planned for the fall, for when students go back to school and many adults return to the office. The public may be experiencing additional stress at that time.

PreviousNext

WP [900×150]

WP [900x150]

News and Trends

  • New wave of generative AI is appearing in healthcare
  • Virtual nursing project in Nunavut shows improved outcomes
  • E-prescribing gives family physicians needed admin support
  • New tools emerging to help reduce clinician burnout
  • Choosing wisely in practice: Integrating guidelines into electronic records
More from the Print Edition

Subscribe

Subscribe

Free of charge to Canadian hospital managers and executives in nursing homes and home-care organizations. Learn More

Follow us on Social Media!

Follow us on Social Media!

Softworks

Softworks

Tripp-Lite Eaton

Tripp-Lite Eaton

Medica save the date

Medica save the date

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra SaaS

Sectra SaaS

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway

Infoway

Zebra

Zebra

RealTime

RealTime

WP [900×150]

WP [900x150]

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra SaaS

Sectra SaaS

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway

Infoway

Zebra

Zebra

RealTime

RealTime

Contact Us

Canadian Healthcare Technology
1118 Centre Street, Suite 207
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7R9
Tel: 905-709-2330
Fax: 905-709-2258
info2@canhealth.com

  • Quick Links
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
    • Events
    • Vendors
    • About Us
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Writers’ Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Administrative Solutions
    • Clinical Solutions
    • Companies
    • Continuing Care
    • Diagnostics
    • Education & Training
  •  
    • Electronic Records
    • Government & Policy
    • Infrastructure
    • Innovation
    • People
    • Privacy and Security

© 2023 Canadian Healthcare Technology

The content of Canadian Healthcare Technology is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Send all requests for permission to Jerry Zeidenberg, Publisher.

Search Site

Error: Enter a search term

  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us