Northwell Health Provides Telehealth Services, Assistance to Ukraine

As the war continues in Ukraine, the Northwell Center for Global Health (CGH) is working with the military to provide a two-phase initiative to enhance telehealth services for the country.

Northwell Health is a healthcare provider in New York State that treats more than two million people annually.

During the recent hardships occurring in Ukraine, Northwell is doing all it can to provide for struggling citizens.

In February, Northwell collaborated with a combat medicine organization called Doctors Without Borders to ship medical supplies to Ukraine, following a collection of $210,000.

“Our main objective during this crisis has been to be thoughtful to our approach and to do what’s sustainable and immediately needed,” said Dr. Eric Cioe Peña, Northwell’s director of the Center for Global Health, in a press release. “What we don’t want to do in this situation is to duplicate and compete with the sustainable efforts already in place.”

Hoping to enhance the quality and quantity of telehealth services provided, Northwell will be carrying out a two-phase initiative.

First, they will provide several mobile platforms — laptops, tablets, and mobile devices —  that will serve as a telemedicine call center. 

The second step will provide high-fidelity telehealth systems to assist in combat trauma in the operating room.

Physicians in the United States will have access to the systems, with the ability to change settings as needed.

“The Northwell Transfer Center, which played a significant role in load balancing of our hospitals during COVID, will develop this complex operation which will allow physicians in Ukraine to access the same world-renowned specialists that we offer to patients and physicians in the New York region,” said Michael Dowling, the president and CEO of Northwell.

In the past, Northwell Health has engaged in various other projects and collaborations that aimed to expand and enhance healthcare.

In September 2020, Northwell created a telehealth service for nursing facilities. To reduce hospitalizations and have more skilled nursing facilities provide care on-site, Northwell designed the system to align with COVID-19 protocols and limit the risk of exposure to the disease.

This month, Northwell Health worked with Aegis Ventures to compose an artificial intelligence platform. The collaboration aims to close health equity gaps, increase access to care, and provide a new approach to healthcare resources.

Also this month, Northwell partnered with Teladoc Health. In this partnership, Northwell patients had access to the Teladoc virtual care platform, which intended for consumers to have an improved experience.