TELUS and the Old Brewery Mission partner to provide healthcare and support services to Montreal's homeless community with launch of Health for Good mobile health clinic  

An estimated 6,000 individuals experience homelessness each night in Quebec

As national rates of homelessness rise to record levels, TELUS increases its Health for Good commitment across Canada to $13M through 2026

MONTREAL, April 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, TELUS, in partnership with the Old Brewery Mission, announced the launch of the newest Health for Good^TM mobile health clinic, working together to help marginalized Montreal residents and communities with free healthcare services as well as social and housing-related support. The rising cost of living, the decreasing number of affordable housing units in Montreal and the lack of space in emergency accommodations have brought the number of Montrealers experiencing homelessness to record levels. It's estimated about 6,000 individuals experience homelessness on any given night in Quebec, most of whom are in Montreal, and face barriers accessing medical and psychosocial support. The Old Brewery Mission Mobile Health Clinic, powered by TELUS Health, reaffirms TELUS' commitment to ensuring that Montrealers in need have access to immediate, high-quality care. In addition, TELUS is increasing its commitment to its Health for Good program, with $13M dedicated through 2026. 

"At TELUS, we're using our world-class technology to transform healthcare, enabling better health outcomes for our Montreal communities," said Martin Bélanger, Managing Director, TELUS Health. "Through our partnership with the Old Brewery Mission, we're helping remove barriers for marginalized people in the Montreal region, providing them with access to the quality care they need. With our increased commitment of $13 million through 2026, we're continuing to expand our Health for Good mobile clinic program across Canada, enabling us to support more individuals in need. By combining technology with human compassion, we are bringing healthcare directly to the communities and people who need it most, providing critical care and helping create a friendlier future for all."

"We're excited about offering such a wide variety of cohabitation and reintegration support services to people experiencing homelessness in Montreal through our partnership with TELUS Health for Good," says James Hughes, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission. "Initiatives like the Old Brewery Mission Mobile Health Clinic, powered by TELUS Health, allow us to connect with the most vulnerable and support them towards rehousing. The services offered by the clinic, made possible with support from key community partners, are adapted to the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Montreal: primary healthcare, psychosocial support and housing help. By coming together, we're ensuring that marginalized Montrealers have low-barrier access to high-quality services to help them find a permanent home."

The Old Brewery Mission is working with Accueil Bonneau to lead this innovative new model of care. In addition, working in partnership with The Mobile Legal Clinic, McGill's Ingram School of Nursing and other community players, the team will provide low-barrier services, focusing on three key priorities:

• Physical healthcare services and psychosocial support, including access to preventative testing, wound care, harm reduction services and referrals for a wide variety of mental health and addiction services;
• Support for cohabitation and reintegration, including referral to local support and emergency services, legal services and administrative support, such as enrollment to the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) and assistance with applying for financial aid, and;
• Rehousing-related support, including tax return preparation, access to identification documents and housing applications.

Caption: A photo of the Old Brewery Mission Mobile Health Clinic, powered by TELUS Health
Credit: Martin Laporte

This mobile health clinic, and others across the country, are equipped with TELUS Health electronic medical record (EMR) technology. The TELUS Health EMR will enable clinic staff to collect and store health data, examine results over time, and provide better continuity of care to patients who previously had undocumented medical histories. The clinic is also equipped with TELUS LTE Wi-Fi and TELUS Mobility services. The space is divided into two main areas: one for patient reception and consultative services, and a second private and more spacious area, with an examination table and a provider workstation. This design will allow the team to treat patients with the dignity and respect they deserve.

With this announcement, TELUS is increasing its program commitment to $13 million through 2026. TELUS Health mobile clinics now operate in 24 communities across Canada and have enabled over 150,000 patient visits Canada-wide. To learn more about how TELUS is creating better health and wellbeing outcomes for all, visit telus.com/healthforgood.

About TELUS Health for Good
Since 2014, TELUS Health for Good has been connecting underserved individuals to the medical and mental health care they need using the power of technology. Equipped with TELUS electronic medical records technology, and fuelled by compassion, our Mobile Health Clinics provide essential primary medical care to individuals living on the streets and have supported over 150,000 patient visits since the program's inception. The program also supports women experiencing marginalization with access to free TELUS Health MyCaretm counselling sessions and supports low-income older adults to live more independently and enjoy peace of mind with subsidized access to TELUS LivingWell Companiontm.

About Old Brewery Mission
Founded in 1889, the Old Brewery Mission is the largest resource in Quebec for men experiencing homelessness and the largest in Canada for women experiencing homelessness. The Old Brewery Mission works to prevent homelessness in Quebec and provides emergency services, psychosocial support, urban health programs, housing options and support in the community. It also participates in research projects and conducts public awareness campaigns. Designed to eliminate chronic homelessness in Montreal, the Mission's approach emphasizes access to permanent housing rather than temporary shelter space. Every year, the Old Brewery Mission helps thousands of people rebuild their lives. For more information, visit missionoldbrewery.ca.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $18 billion in annual revenue and 18 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS' global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 30 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across high-growth industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media and eCommerce and fintech.

TELUS Health is a global health care leader, which provides employee and family preventative health care and wellness solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS' strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventative and mental health outcomes covering 68 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.5 billion, including 2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let's make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us at @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

For more information, please contact:

Camille Grenier
TELUS Media Relations
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/27d23794-25bd-4258-b1ec-1b4a7e6dc0f2