Ryerson University issued the following announcement on July 17.

This web-based platform launched last month will make finding vetted health-care professionals easier for families in these challenging times.

Getting the right care for a child dealing with their mental health was a feat before the global pandemic hit. Now, researchers are saying that the full impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health won’t be fully understood for years, external link, but it's estimated that half of Ontario children will be at risk for mental health or addiction issues, external link.

When Tammany Petrie, founder and CEO of Everyday Heroes Kids, external link (EHK) joined Ryerson’s Biomedical Zone to launch her pediatric platform, she had no idea that a pandemic was about to leave families stuck inside for months at a time, with parents caring for and educating their children while working from home. But the timing for the platform, which launched last month, is critical.

Similar to a LinkedIn platform but for caregivers and professionals, EHK provides families the vetted profiles of health-care professionals, complete with videos to introduce the practitioners to caregivers. The platform also shows caregivers support for diagnoses they may not have known existed, encouraging earlier intervention for better outcomes and a higher standard of care.

“Many pediatric professionals who previously did not offer online services are now making the necessary transition to connect with families online and are having to market themselves in a way they never did before,” says Petrie.

Making access easier for youth

“As our community grows, we will expand our services online, particularly in the mental health space where there is an overwhelming demand to support adolescents and teens in their advocacy for their own mental health,” says Petrie. “We are also building a template to support nonprofits and hospitals to provide families with easier access to all the services available to them in one centralized destination.”

EHK is aiming to serve the 15 per cent of children with a disability, the one in five with a learning disability, the 48 per cent whose parents are divorcing or separating and need counselling support, as well as any individual up to 18 years old who needs professional health, mental health or education services.

The personal journey

EHK was born out of necessity, says Petrie, an entrepreneur in the pediatric space for 17 years. As the mother of two boys, one who was born Deaf and the other with severe ADHD, she understood firsthand the stress of finding the best pediatric support.

“When Jackson was diagnosed as being profoundly Deaf, I realized I knew nothing about what that means,” she says. “I needed to make clear thinking decisions when I was in a state that was anything but rational. Devastated and sorting through disconnected, incomplete information and trying to make the best decisions was a terrifying experience. I created Everyday Heroes Kids because I want to make life easier for other families experiencing this type of pain.

“Everyday Heroes Kids was founded on the belief that connecting families with the appropriate pediatric care should not be difficult, and that the resources of both caregivers and professionals should be devoted to the well-being of the child, not the search for each other.”

The platform now has 80 medical professionals participating with a variety of modalities.

Support from the Biomedical Zone

Petrie says she’s indebted to the Biomedical Zone for its support in building the platform. “As a startup founder, you are constantly navigating difficult decisions and I feel incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from Dr. Linda Maxwell’s [Biomedical Zone founder] impressive career and business insights that have guided our decision-making and resulted in successful outcomes,” she says. “She can take the most complicated scenarios and make them simple and clear, and she listens then provides feedback that’s set me on the path to reach the next level. I couldn’t have built this company without her support and confidence in me.”

To learn more about the Biomedical Zone and their startups, visit their website.

Original source: https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/news/2020/07/biomedical-zone-helps-launch-pediatric-platform-for-parents-in-need/