Quebec provides nearly $1.2 million for health innovation projects

Nurse practitioner Tarik Khan, left, rests his hand on that of Carol McKenna, 75. (Tim Tai/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

A few days after launching a call for innovation in home care, the government is announcing nearly $1.2 million in assistance to be shared by six projects.

It's a joint initiative between the Health Ministry and the Economy, Innovation and Energy Ministry.

Quebec will pay $1,173,198 for six initiatives selected following a call for projects launched last fall as part of the Health Innovation Showcase program.

According to the press release published Monday morning, these innovations aim to improve home health-care conditions, users' autonomy, and make care teams more efficient. Each of these projects is developed in collaboration with a health network institution.

Health Minister Christian Dubé said he was pleased these tools would improve the care offered to Quebecers, adding that "innovation is a key element" of the CAQ health plan.

On Monday morning, Dubé participated in a forum organized by the Health Innovation District, the Metropolitan Montreal Board of Trade and the Université de Montréal Hospital Centre (CHUM). In a speech at UQAM, the minister referred to these announcements as "just the beginning."

He also noted the importance of innovation in health care and wished to remove certain taboos regarding collaboration between private companies and health care.

Among the first six projects is a pilot telerehabilitation project for children with walking limitations conducted by Ora Médical in collaboration with the regional health board (CIUSSS) in the Eastern Townships.

 In Montreal, the company Amylior and the northern Montreal regional health board are working on the 'Amysoft' application, which helps manage risks associated with pressure sores among wheelchair users. Nosotech and the West Island regional health board are working on an alert tool in case there's a drop in hand hygiene in care environments.

Also in the city, BioTwin and the northern Montreal CIUSSS are working on strategies for obesity prevention. The company Braver and the CIUSSS in west-central Montreal are developing a tool for reproducing therapy at home.

Finally, LivingSafe Technologies and Montreal's south-central CIUSSS are working to develop a fall detection system to reduce time spent on the floor after a fall.