SickKids Virtual Urgent Care program tackling the digital divide with on-site kiosk in the Lawrence Allen Centre

When a child is sick, it can be tough to know where to seek care, especially if you don’t have access to resources or technology to help make those decisions. While virtual care services are becoming more common across the health system, access to technology and internet services is not equal across communities – a health equity issue that The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is looking to address through a pilot project at the Lawrence Allen Centre.  

Situated on the ground floor of the Lawrence Allen Centre, SickKids has launched an in-person, greeter-assisted kiosk that provides access to the hospital’s Virtual Urgent Care (VUC) program where patients and families can use a symptom checker, obtain digital and printed health information and even engage in virtual care visits with SickKids Emergency Department (ED) physicians, if eligible. The pilot project – created through an innovative public-private partnership between SickKids and RioCan – aims to provide an additional way for one of Toronto’s most digitally underserved communities to access SickKids’ VUC program.  

“Through detailed analysis, we know that our VUC is not being used equally across population groups.  We wanted to be able to offer this service to all groups and equity-deserving populations.  We will be robustly evaluating who is and isn’t using the service, in order to optimize it for all of our patients,” says Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, Staff Physician and Lead, Virtual Care in the Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at SickKids.  

Launched in 2021, the SickKids VUC program offers patients and families a convenient way to help determine the most appropriate care setting for a medical concern, whether it is a virtual appointment with SickKids ED, a recommendation to visit a primary care provider or your local ED. To date, the VUC’s symptom checker has been accessed by patients and families close to 57,000 times, with more than 14,000 virtual visits completed with SickKids ED physicians.  

Although successful, data on SickKids VUC program revealed that high-needs communities in Toronto did not use the program at the same rate as other neighbourhoods with higher socioeconomic status, a common occurrence known as the ‘digital divide’. To address these digital barriers, a greeter at the kiosk can help families use SickKids’ VUC program by providing access to technology and internet services at the on-site location.  Interpretation services are also available in more than 230 languages.  

"RioCan is excited to leverage this collaboration with SickKids to reinforce our commitment to vibrant community spaces," said Jennifer Suess, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, ESG and Corporate Secretary at RioCan and Board Member for SickKids Foundation. "Lawrence Allen Centre is a cornerstone for local residents and is an ideal location for this strategic initiative that we hope will contribute to the health and well-being of children in our community.” 

Through this novel, health-equity project, SickKids hopes to benefit the community by improving access to trusted, high-quality virtual care.