Sault Area Hospital tests caregiver ID program
Sault Ste. Marie has been the testing ground for a program that would see the role of caregivers improved across the province, if implemented.
Sault Area Hospital and the Algoma Ontario Health Team have collaborated to adapt an ID program for caregivers that has helped improve communication between medical workers and caregivers.
"It really became evident that we needed to look for ways to eliminate any of those barriers that they may have right across the system of Algoma," said Laura Tenhagen, project lead.
"We needed to look for ways that patients and their caregivers could be reunited."
The program was created by the Ontario Caregiver Organization with the intention of growing it to other regions.
Tenhagen said the pilot launched with 30 caregivers receiving an ID card to use at facilities in Algoma. It has since grown to more than 250.
"The caregiver ID really became that quick recognition that if a particular caregiver was in possession of the ID badge, we knew they had been part of the program," she added.
The Algoma Ontario Health Team said it's also created the role of an essential caregiver designation, which has helped caregivers gain access to their loved ones while restrictions at medical facilities have been implemented.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My little love is now flying high': Families pay tribute to Texas school shooting victims
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.

Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, a witness said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team.
As it happened: The 2022 French-language Conservative leadership debate
The Conservative Party of Canada leadership hopefuls debated face-to-face in French, in Laval, Que. on May 25. Recap CTV News reporters' real-time updates as the debate unfolded.
Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott on shooting: 'This is on you'
A news conference about the shooting at a Texas elementary school broke into shouting Wednesday as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for inaction ahead of the latest in a long string of mass shootings in the state.
Trudeau cancelled B.C. appearance after RCMP warned protest could escalate: CP source
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled plans to appear in person at a Liberal fundraiser in British Columbia Tuesday after RCMP warned an aggressive protest outside the event could escalate if he arrived, said a source close to the decision. The source spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.
'How to Murder Your Husband' author found guilty of murder
A jury in Portland has convicted a self-published romance novelist - who once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' - of fatally shooting her husband four years ago.
Who controls the price of crude oil?
Do oil companies control the price of crude? CTVNews.ca asked experts to explain.