The Victoria General Hospital recently became the first hospital on Vancouver Island to join Upopolis, a social platform where young patients can access kid-friendly medical content.
In addition, Upopolis lets patients communicate with their families and friends while they’re in the hospital. The platform was founded by the Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF) and is powered by Telus Health.
According to a statement sent to MobileSyrup, Upopolis is Canada’s only private and secure social network designed for kids and teens receiving medical care in hospitals and clinics.
“We are pleased to support initiatives that help young patients feel empowered while in our care,” said British Columbia Health Minister Terry Lake in a statement.
“Not only is Upopolis an age-appropriate learning tool that brings children who face similar challenges together on their health-care journeys; it also helps kids be kids through familiar social media channels,” he continued.
In addition to providing content and access to friends and family, Upopolis also offers therapeutic benefits to those who use it by providing medical content in kid-friendly language and facilitating connections with other patients who share the same diagnosis.
The Upopolis program was first launched in 2007 at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, and has since expanded to 23 hospitals and health organizations across Canada.
Source: Victoria General Hospital
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