BANAC has functioned as a regional social planning and development organization with regions covering Simcoe County, Muskoka, and the northern York Region since 1989.
In 2018, Germaine Elliott, Executive Director at Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin (Everyone Helps), began working with BANAC to lead the development and implementation of an indigenous primary care team.
“This was a huge step for our region because previous to that we had not been involved in the design or delivery of primary care services of any kind. So, it was really outside of our experience.”
- Germaine Elliott, Executive Director at Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin
The Challenge
BANAC was in the process of transitioning to a primary healthcare provider for their community but was in a relationship with an IT service provider who was exercising a lot of control over their organization.
Their old systems were not properly managed nor did they understand the technology upgrades and security requirements needed to become a healthcare provider.
They had no central place to share files and staff collaborated by saving data on flash drives.
In order to meet the legal requirements to offer healthcare services to their community, BANAC was referred to IC 360 Solutions.
Solution
IC 360 Solutions provides IT consulting and services focused on their clients’ business needs. After several listening sessions with the Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin team, IC 360 developed a plan to address their needs.
Stronger Security Systems.
Loss of data or data breaches in healthcare is a huge issue.
According to statistics from the HIPPA Journal,1,531,855 records were breached across 39 healthcare data breaches in February 2020 alone.
To mitigate this, IC 360 Solutions implemented data loss prevention into BANAC’S systems to protect them against security breaches.
Better Structure.
Small businesses often don’t have a cohesive IT strategy, instead, they have a fragmented set of systems that aren’t properly implemented.
IC 360 Solutions helped build BANAC’S new system from the ground up by implementing Microsoft 365.
With the new structure in place, BANAC had full control over their devices, accounts, security, and automation without any blind spots.
Preparing for Growth.
IC 360 Solutions knew they needed to set up a system so that BANAC’s employees could effectively collaborate, not just with people within one office, but with teams spread across their regions.
They shared their vision about how they believed BANAC was going to grow and were trusted to set up the foundational pieces to accommodate for their success.
“There had to be an element of trust and we trusted him to build a system that would effectively meet the needs of our organization as it grew, and I knew we were going to grow.”
- Germaine Elliott, Executive Director at Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin
Results
Since the implementation of the new structure in 2018, BANAC has gone from 12 employees to 60 in just a few years.
BANAC’S Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin now has a successful interdisciplinary primary care team that provides holistic care incorporating indigenous concepts of health and well-being throughout the North Simcoe and Muskoka Regions.
They have two clinics open, one in Barrie and another in Orillia, both of which offer support to the surrounding regional communities.
Their long-term goal is to expand their primary care team services to improve access for vulnerable populations across the Simcoe Muskoka region.
“[IC 360 Solutions] really goes out of their way to ensure that everybody is satisfied and happy. [They] take the time to explain anything that people need.”
- Germaine Elliott, Executive Director at Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin.
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