Over the past year, Waterloo-based Preemptive has been working with local healthcare non-profit Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, which supports people with acute or chronic substance abuse issues.
The two organizations plan to work together over the next 18 months, and the app is now spreading to other healthcare facilities.
The startup wanted to tackle one of Stongehenge’s major challenges, which was using a small investment of funds to provide a broad range of withdrawal support services across all of Waterloo-Wellington. Through an app built with Preemptive, Stonehenge clients can access information related to their recovery, receive instant feedback to reduce the risk of withdrawal in the community, increase worker efficiency and communication, and provide a collaborative environment for staff and clients to communicate.
So far, the app has allowed staff gain immediate feedback from clients and improve the quality of care in the Community Withdrawal Support Service in Cambridge, Guelph, and Kitchener-Waterloo.
“We want to show that technology can improve quality of life and the lives of people in our community who need assistance, without stigma,” said Joseph Puopolo, CEO and co-founder of Preemptive. “We can help tackle the opioid epidemic with technology and a new approach.”
The two organizations plan to work together over the next 18 months. Stonehenge is the first care facility to pilot this technology with Preemptive, and the app is now spreading to other healthcare facilities like House of Friendship.
“Solving the current opioid crisis can’t be done by one organization or sector alone. We need to work together to implement more innovative, person-centred approaches,” said Elliot Fung, executive lead and innovation and strategic partnerships at Waterloo Wellington LHIN. “This is why we were proud to bring together the local tech community with our local health service providers and Communitech to work on solutions together. Because of this, residents will benefit from a partnership between Preemptive and Stonehenge that will better support those dealing with opioid withdrawal. This innovation has the potential to spread across Waterloo Wellington, benefiting thousands.”
Photo via Unsplash.