Mass General Neurologist Offers Support to Sunbeam’s Telemedicine Work

Mass General Neurologist Offers Support to Sunbeam’s Telemedicine Work

BAR HARBOR, ME — “Monday, April 15, I spent an amazing day at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) thanks to Anand Viswanathan, MD, PhD,” said the Mission’s Island Health Director Sharon Daley, RN.

Director Daley’s was somewhat of a full-circle visit. In May 2018, at the invitation of then-Mission President Scott Planting, Dr. Anand spent three days accompanying Sharon aboard the ‘Sunbeam V’ for her regular telemedicine run.

Dr. Anand, a Neurologist, is a member of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and is a staff neurologist in both the Stroke Service and Memory Disorders Unit. He also works with patients in remote areas, such as northern Maine, via telemedicine. His work and the Sunbeam’s island work are a natural fit.

After that trip, Anand wrote to Sharon, “…I think you guys are doing really outstanding and important work, although not always glamorous. I think you guys are really the unsung medical heroes of the Maine islands.”

During her recent visit with Dr. Anand at MGH, Sharon attended “a meeting where the newest research was presented,” she said. And she “was also shown [MGH’s] stroke telemedicine program.

Sharon explained, “Dr. Anand and other physicians provide stroke telemed and consultations to Maine hospitals. The technology enables the physicians to [remotely] see all of the scans, labs, and the patient.”

But, Sharon added, what “impressed me more than the technology is the dedication I saw in the people I met.”

Mission Health Director Daley said the MGH “team was very interested” in the ‘Sunbeam’ telemedicine work. “Anand and the team offered to do anything they can to support [that work] any way they can,’ Daley said, which is great news for the Mission and the island communities with which we work.

To learn more about the ‘Sunbeam V’ telemedicine work click here.

New Portable Telemed Gear Expands Island Health Director’s Patient Reach

New Portable Telemed Gear Expands Island Health Director’s Patient Reach

A product photo illustrating Island Health Director Daley’s portable telemedicine set-up. (Photo courtesy AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc.)

BAR HARBOR, ME — Maine Seacoast Mission Island Health Director Sharon Daley will soon have portable telemedicine equipment to augment her floating telemedicine room aboard the Sunbeam V. The Sunbeam’s telemedicine room equipment uses videoconferencing and medical devices (i.e. stethoscope, blood pressure cuff) to connect island resident patients in real time with their medical providers. That connectivity relies on a land line for the Sunbeam to lock into.

Health Director Daley’s portable telemedicine gear is web-based, using Windows operating system, and fully usable on the latest Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers. The portable gear weighs around 12 pounds. Where there is a Maine island private room with an internet connection, Sharon can do her work with island patients.

The new telemedicine gear is especially useful when the Sunbeam is undergoing maintenance, or very high winds are keeping the boat in harbor. Traveling by other boats or airplane, Director Sharon Daley can maintain her island schedule.

Sunbeam V Schedule: Island Telemedicine Visits Sept 12-14

Sunbeam V Schedule: Island Telemedicine Visits Sept 12-14

Please check the Sunbeam Island Services Schedule Calendar for any schedule changes due to weather conditions or other considerations.

The Sunbeam V is scheduled to visit Frenchboro, Matinicus, and Isle au Haut.

Questions about Island Health Services and Telemedicine? Please contact Director of Island Health Services Sharon Daley, RN.

For other inquiries about the Sunbeam, contact Director of Island Outreach Douglas Cornman.

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