Upopolis, KHLF & TELUS recognized in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

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UPOPOLIS Rocked "The Rock"!

Our Newfoundland & Labrador launch of our UPOPOLIS Program was a great success! Though the temperature was chilly, we certainly basked in the warm welcome received from Eastern Health and Central Health, our newest UPOPOLIS sites.

We were so excited to have The Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premiere and Minister of Health and Community Services attend the event, and it was a tremendous honour for Kids' Health Links Foundation and UPOPOLIS to be spoken about by him later that day at the House Of Assembly - a short video clip can be viewed HERE!

A HUGE thank you to TELUS Health and Eastern Health Newfoundland & Labrador in particular for helping us rock "The Rock" by organizing and promoting this province-wide event!

Upopolis launches in Newfoundland and Labrador!

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St. John’s – Newfoundland and Labrador will welcome TELUS Health and Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF) to the province on Thursday, November 20, 2014 to make a province-wide announcement affecting pediatric patients and their access to youth-friendly medical content and social connections with families, friends and schools while undergoing treatment.

The Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Community Services, along with representatives from Eastern Health, Central Health, TELUS Health and the Kids’ Health Links Foundation will be present for the provincial launch of this initiative.

Note to editors: Cameras and reporters welcome to attend

When: Thursday, November 20, 2014 9 a.m.

Where: Paradise Youth Treatment Centre 7 Mallow Drive (off Paradise Road)

What: Interview and Photo Opportunities: • Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Community Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador • David Diamond, President and CEO, Eastern Health • David Thomas, Vice President, TELUS Health • Basile Papaevangelou, Chairman and Founder, Kids’ Health Links Foundation

Follow the conversation on Twitter using #Upopolis.

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For more information, please contact:

Jill Yetman TELUS Media Relations 416-992-2639 jill.yetman@telus.com

April Ganong Kids’ Health Links Foundation 905-817-1717 april@kidshealthlinks.org ###

Countdown to Upopolis SuperUser Meeting!

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This Thursday and Friday, November 13-14, 2014, Kids' Health Links Foundation is hosting its 3rd Annual UPOPOLIS Super User Meeting in Toronto. This yearly event brings together key child life specialists from across the country from that are using and enjoying the positive benefits of the UPOPOLIS program. Child life specialists are the life-blood of UPOPOLIS. They act as the administrators and champions of the program in the institutions where it's found. We've found that bringing them together annually for UPOP training, in-depth discussions on socialization of the program within their hospitals, best-practice sharing and hot topic brainstorming – all in an effort to promote collaboration and develop ways to continually improve and enhance the program – has become a much anticipated, effective and exciting event we all look forward too.

All 10 UPOP institutions with the program will have at least 1 delegate to represent their child life teams. Participants include:

McMaster Children’s Hospital – Hamilton, Ontario BC Children’s Hospital – Vancouver, British Columbia Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa, Ontario IWK Health Centre – Halifax, Nova Scotia The Hospital for Sick Children – Toronto, Ontario CHU Sainte-Justine – Montreal, Quebec Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital – Toronto, Ontario Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences – London, Ontario Emily’s House - Toronto, Ontario Lutherwood - Waterloo, Ontario

This year, we are excited to have delegates from 3 tertiary care centres join us as well. They are exploring the possibility of bringing UPOPOLIS to their units (eg. Oncology) to support the children and youth they see. We look forward to their ideas, contributions, and feedback.

We are also very excited to announce Mary Jo Haddad, KHLF Board Member and Past President & CEO of SickKids Hospital as our Keynote speaker to kick-off our meeting on Friday morning!

THURS, NOVEMBER 13

2:30 - 4:30 PM UPOPOLIS 2.0 Orientation for New Super Users
5:30 - 6:30 PM Welcome Cocktail Reception
6:30 - 9:00 PM Group Dinner

FRI, NOVEMBER 14

8:00 - 8:30 AM Breakfast Buffet Marquis Restaurant
8:30 - 8:45 AM Special Welcome & Introductions Basile Papaevangelou, Founder/President, KHLF Mary Jo Haddad, KHLF & TELUS Board Member, Past President & CEO, SickKids Hospital
8:45 - 9:30 AM Super User Needs Assessment Survey Results & Discussion Allison Sohanlal, KHLF UPOPOLIS Program Manager
9:30 - 10:15 AM UPOPOLIS 2.0 Training: CK Editor, Embedding Video, other TBD Presenter: Mario Cantin, TELUS
10:15 – 10:45 AM Hot Topic Charting & Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM The Road AheadTaking UPOP 2.0 Mobile Presenters: TELUS Team
11:45 – 12:30 PM Lunch
12:30 – 1:30 PM UPOPOLIS as Part of the Theraputic Toolbox: A Discussion of Psycho-Social Support for Youth in Hospital Presenter: Allison Sohanlal, KHLF
1:30 – 3:00 PM Hot Topics for Future Direction of UPOPOLIS: Group brainstorming Facilitators: Allison, KHLF & April Ganong, KHLF
3:00 – 3:30 PM Closing Comments & Thank You

 

Allison Sohanlal (CCLS) joins KHLF!

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KHLF WELCOMES CCLS, ALLISON SOHANLAL TO OUR TEAM! We are very excited to announce that Allison Sohanlal has joined the KHLF Team as our National UPOPOLIS Program Manager.  Allison brings with her over 11 years of clinical experience as a certified child life specialist (CCLS) working with children and families who have experienced illness, loss and/or trauma.  Most recently, Allison has dedicated the last five years at SickKids in Toronto as the UPOPOLIS Super User (administrator) since its launch in 2009.

Allison holds a Masters in Child Life and Family Centered Care and is an assistant professor in the McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences, Child Life Studies Program. She is also on the board of directors of Hospice Toronto. Allison, with her child life background and extensive experience with UPOPOLIS over the years, will help us expand UPOPOLIS from a fantastic social platform for hospitalized kids, to a very important therapeutic modality integrated into the practice of care in hospitals and care centres across the country.

Allison is excited about joining Kids' Health Links and continuing her advocacy for the needs of youth with hospital experience:

"I have seen UPOPOLIS grow in leaps and bounds over the last five years and am thrilled to continue to develop and support the success of this therapeutic network across Canada.  You cannot begin to measure the positive impact UPOPOLIS has had on the patients I have worked with - who find comfort in a safe and secure space to meet other youth who understand their unique experiences and challenges.  UPOPOLIS allows them to express themselves, give and receive support and to connect with their hospitals in a new and engaging way.  It is incredibly rewarding to work with the Kids' Health Links Foundation who not only support the child life profession, but the patients and families across Canada that we are lucky enough to work with every day!"

Welcome to the Kids' Health Links family, Allison!!

KHLF Welcomes Mary Jo Haddad to Its Board of Directors

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 A VERY WARM WELCOME TO MARY JO HADDAD (Toronto, Ontario) The Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF), an Ontario-based charitable organization, announces the election of Mary Jo Haddad to its board of directors. KHLF is dedicated to using technology to develop initiatives targeting the physical and mental health of children and youth.

President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto until her retirement in December 2013, Haddad has made numerous contributions to children's health in Ontario and internationally. She brings her extensive experience in the healthcare field to build and expand upon the Foundation’s initiatives, devoted to furthering the health and well-being of paediatric patients and those who support them.

“Words are inadequate to express how honoured we are to welcome Mary Jo as a board member,” says KHLF Founder and Chairman, Basile Papaevangelou. “Her addition to the KHLF Board of Directors reflects KHLF's unrelenting commitment to finding the most innovative and very best leaders to guide our efforts to support the physical and mental health of children and youth."

An honours graduate of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor, Ms. Haddad earned her master’s degree in Health Science from the University of Toronto. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Business, and she is a mentor for aspiring leaders from the Women's Executive Network and The Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders.

In 2013, she received the Contribution to Child Health Award of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres and the Grace Evelyn Simpson Reeves Award for Excellence in Career Achievement, The Hospital for Sick Children. In 2012, she received The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010.

 

About the Kids’ Health Links Foundation

The Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF) is a grassroots charity co-founded by Basile Papaevangelou and his daughter Christina in 2007. It was inspired by Christina’s near death as a result of a massive blood infection known as Toxic Shock Syndrome in 2002; and by the passing of her good friend Katy, in 2004 following a brave battle with cancer. Through these experiences, it became obvious to Basile and Christina that the isolation and lack of connection felt by both Christina and Katy during their hospitalizations were typical for hospitalized kids across Canada. KHLF was created to answer this need. The mission of the Foundation to use technology to help alleviate the stress and isolation of paediatric patients drives its initiatives. Today, these include

UPOPOLIS: The only private, secure and trusted social network for hospitalized kids and teens in Canada. It is offered, supported, hosted and updated at no cost to the institution or user. UPOPOLIS was recognized in November 2012 by the Canadian Health Informatics Association (CHIA). TELUS our partner was recognized for the CHIA Corporate Citizenship Award for their support of our innovation. UPOPOLIS can be found at eight (8) children’s hospitals and one kid’s mental health center across Canada.; Lutherwood Children’s Mental Health Centre, Kitchener, ON; McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton, ON; The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, ON; Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON; IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS; BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC; Ste-Justine University Hospital Centre, Montréal, QC; Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, ON: Children’s Hospital, London, ON. This year, UPOPOLIS will be implemented at Emily’s Children and Youth Hospice, Toronto and at 3 centres in Newfoundland and Labrador: Eastern Health Center for Youth Mental Health and Addictions, Paradise; Central Health Center for Youth Mental Health and Addictions Grand Falls-Windsor; and Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre, St. Johns.

WWW.UMIND.ca: An online community hosting a national community of practice; facilitating educational and mentoring opportunities within the network of children’s mental health treatment providers.

WWW.UPEDIA.ca: This peer-reviewed library holds child life resources and policies that have been generously contributed by children’s hospitals and pediatric centers. Contributions continue.

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Upopolis 2.0 Canada-wide launch event

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Celebratory Cupcakes!
Celebratory Cupcakes!

UPOPOLIS Announces Canada-Wide Launch Event

Making cyber-safe connections even easier for paediatric patients across Canada

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, Ontario – The Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF) is pleased to announce its Canada-wide launch event to be held June 18th, celebrating the release of the newly redesigned and revamped Upopolis 2.0, a private online social network available exclusively to paediatric patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout Canada.

Developed in partnership with TELUS Health, the new UPOPOLIS 2.0 makes it even easier for hospitalized youth to connect with one another, with family and with friends.

“The idea for UPOPOLIS was inspired by my daughter’s near-death experience in 2002, followed in 2004 by the death of a close friend of hers after an extended battle with cancer,” says Kids’ Health Links Foundation co- Founder and President Basile Papaevangelou. “Both required lengthy hospitalizations, creating a sense of isolation and loneliness at times, which is often the experience of hospitalized kids and teens. At its core, UPOPOLIS was created to help paediatric patients connect with family and friends and to also enable them to form new ones with patients at other hospitals and healthcare facilities. We’re honored to be able to work with Telus and our hospitals and healthcare facilities to offer UPOPOLIS 2.0 to these young people.”

Along with its psycho-social benefits, UPOPOLIS users can share photos, chat, play games and much more. A particularly important feature of UPOPOLIS is its kid-friendly medical content. Written specifically for kids & teens and reviewed and verified by medical professionals, this library of information allows paediatric patients to learn more about their medical conditions and treatments.

“At TELUS, we take pride in connecting millions of Canadians with the people and information that matters most to them. For us, helping connect hospitalized kids with a safe and secure social network is an extension of that,” said Paul Lepage, President of TELUS Health. “Our commitment is to provide the best healthcare information technology solutions in Canada and leverage our unparalleled telecommunications network to give healthcare providers life-saving reach nation-wide from coast to coast to coast. We consider it a privilege to support ground-breaking initiatives like UPOPOLIS because we care about turning information into better health outcomes for all Canadians.”

Hospitals that are part of the UPOPOLIS network and that will be participating with in-hospital events on June 18th include: The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, ON; McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton, ON; IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS; Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, ON; Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON; CHU Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, Montréal, QC; and Children's Hospital London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON.

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At the Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF), our mission is to use technology to alleviate the stress, isolation and loneliness of children in medical care, and keep them connected with their family, friends and school community.

We believe that positive emotional well-being can be fostered by maintaining family connections and encouraging active social participation. By providing technology that enables this well-being, we hope to help children heal faster and better overcome traumatic medical experiences. For more information about the Kids’ Health Links Foundation and UPOPOLIS, visit www.kidshealthlinks.org.

Golfing for kids!

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On Monday September 26, 2011 we held our inaugural Charity Golf Invitational and Fundraiser at the exclusive Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario!

The proceeds from this tournament are making it possible for UPOPOLIS to continue helping to alleviate the stress, isolation and loneliness children experience during stretches of medical care. This safe, online community provides answers and comfort with an online library of easy to understand medical information written especially for kids and teens.UPOPOLIS is the only private and secure social network in Canada that helps hospitalized children stay connected with family and friends, remain up to date with school, and virtually meet kids in hospital across the country. To date, UPOPOLIS has touched the lives of over 1,500 hospitalized children at McMaster Children’s (Hamilton), SickKids (Toronto), CHEO (Ottawa), IWK Health Centre (Halifax), CHU Sainte-Justine (Montreal) and BC Children’s (Vancouver). Many hospitalized children still remain outside the UPOPOLIS community. A hearty thank you to all our golfers, sponsors, volunteers and donors!

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital welcomes Upopolis

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TORONTO , Sept. 29, 2011 /CNW/ - Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in partnership with TELUS, Kids' Health Links Foundation (KHLF) and Sheridan Nurseries today announced the launch of Upopolis, an innovative social networking tool that helps hospital inpatients stay connected to their families, friends and school.

Created by KHLF and powered by TELUS, Upopolis.com is the only private, secure and trusted online social network designed just for kids in hospital. Upopolis provides the best features of social networking, such as personal profiles, personal blogs, instant chat and child-friendly games. The site also provides unique features to kids in hospital, such as a homework site to stay up-to-date with their schoolwork, links to kid-friendly health and wellness information, and connections to other children with the same condition.

At Holland Bloorview, Upopolis will be championed by Child Life Specialists, who work with clients, their family and other caregivers to help manage stress, pain and anxiety associated with hospitalization.

Holland Bloorview is the only children's rehabilitation hospital in Canada to offer this innovative site to their patients. This program comes just in time for Thanksgiving , a vital time for kids in care to connect with their loved ones.

"The average hospital stay at Holland Bloorview is 61 days. For a young person, a stay that long can feel like a lifetime and can lead to feelings of isolation," says Sheila Jarvis , president and CEO Holland Bloorview. "Upopolis allows kids to stay connected to their friends and families which is extremely important for their healing."

Through a unique partnership with KHLF, TELUS provides the technology to develop and build Upopolis. TELUS continues to provide site expansion, ongoing access to Upopolis, managed web hosting, application support and maintenance services.

"At TELUS we take pride in finding new and innovative health care solutions for Canadians through the use of technology," said Paul Lepage , senior vice-president, TELUS Health Solutions. "Upopolis is a terrific example of technology that empowers children in care. It is often difficult for patients to travel outside hospital walls, but with this unique program patients can connect with their friends and families at anytime. We are proud to partner with Holland Bloorview, which will provide growth and expansion within this network to more young patients."

The generous donation KHLF received from Sheridan Nurseries has allowed them to bring Upopolis to Holland Bloorview. In turn, this donation will help with its initial implementation, oversight and also continue the program development for all connected hospitals across Canada.

"Working with Upopolis has given us the opportunity to keep children connected to their family and friends, during a time they often feel isolated and needing extra support," said Karl Stensson, president of Sheridan Nurseries. "We are proud to be involved with this innovative concept in children's health care."

The online support network was inspired by the hospital experiences of two teenaged friends, Christina Papaevangelou and Katy McDonald. In February 2002 , Christina was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at McMaster Children's Hospital with a life-threatening illness. Shortly after, Katy was diagnosed with cancer and had to be hospitalized for a long period of time at SickKids. Sadly, Katy lost her battle with cancer. However, their friendship and common experiences inspired Christina to explore ways to help kids in care stay connected.

"Ten years ago Upopolis was only a dream, today it has connected many children in care across Canada , with each other and with their friends and loved ones," said Basile Papaevangelou, chairman and founder of Kids Health Links Foundation. "On behalf of Kids' Health Links and our partners, we are thrilled to launch Upopolis at yet another hospital in Canada and for the first time at a children's rehabilitation facility. Today's launch at Holland Bloorview means we are one step closer to bringing this program to every Canadian children's hospital."

KHLF and TELUS launched the first Upopolis program in 2007 at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton and since then it has expanded to other hospitals and health organizations across Canada , including B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver ; IWK Health Centre in Halifax ; CHEO in Ottawa ; SickKids in Toronto , Ste. Justine in Montreal and Lutherwood in Waterloo. By adapting the TELUS technology, the Upopolis team has been able to meet the specific needs of each hospital, whether adding French language capabilities or information specific to mental health.

About Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.  We pioneer treatments, technologies, therapies and real-world programs that give children with disabilities the tools to participate fully in life. Every year, we see about 7,000 children with about 600 inpatient admissions and 58,000 outpatient visits.

About Kids' Health Links Foundation

Kids' Health Links was founded by Basile Papaevangelou and his daughter Christina to connect, through technology, children in health care facilities across Canada with friends and family, their teachers and schoolwork. Kids' Health Links Foundation created Upopolis - an innovative, private online community for children in care. The Kids' Health Links technology solutions help to alleviate stress, isolation and loneliness for children in medical care in order to help children heal faster and better to overcome traumatic medical experiences.

About Sheridan Nurseries

Sheridan Nurseries is the largest combined nursery and retail chain of garden centres in Canada , with eight retail locations in the GTA and one in Kitchener-Waterloo, as well as five Professional Supply Centres.  The third-generation Stensson business includes more than 900 acres of farm property growing over one million plants for sale annually, in varying container sizes. For more information, visit www.sheridannurseries.com or contact the Marketing department at 416-798-7970.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada , with $10.1 billion of annual revenue and 12.4 million customer connections including 7.1 million wireless subscribers, 3.7 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 400,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle , TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees will, by year-end 2011, have contributed $245 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Eleven TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

Dec 9/09 – Upopolis launches at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital

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SickKids receives a healthy dose of social networking just in time for the holidays Introducing Upopolis, Canada's first secure online community connecting kids in hospital

TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Some kids in hospital can't go home for the holidays, but they now have a new way to stay connected to family and friends.

Today, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), TELUS and Kids' Health Links Foundation (KHLF) announce the launch of Upopolis, an online social network designed especially for young patients in hospital. Upopolis aims to make hospital walls virtually invisible between family and friends through the power of social networking. SickKids is the largest centre in Canada to offer this site to its patients.

Created by KHLF and powered by TELUS, Upopolis provides the best features of social networking for young patients, who often feel disconnected when they are in the hospital. It offers personal profiles, personal blogs, instant chat and child-friendly games. The site is a password-protected social network that uses a content-filtering tool and pre-consented contacts to create a secure environment for patients to communicate.

Upopolis also provides unique features to kids in hospital, like a homework site that helps them stay up-to-date with their schoolwork, links to child-friendly health and wellness information, and connections to other children with similar health challenges. The SickKids Child Life Department, which works with patients to help them cope with social and emotional issues associated with being in hospital, uses Upopolis as a therapeutic tool to help patients combat isolation and express their feelings.

"Caring for children is at the heart of everything we do. We are always looking for ways to provide better care and improve the patient experience," says Mary Jo Haddad, SickKids President and CEO. "We are excited by what Upopolis can do to enrich the lives of our patients and support SickKids' approach to family centred-care."

Through a unique partnership with KHLF, TELUS provided the technology to develop and build Upopolis. TELUS continues to provide site expansion, ongoing access to Upopolis, managed web hosting, application support and maintenance services. The TELUS Toronto Community Board also donated $40,000 to help launch Upopolis at SickKids.

"It's an honour to bring Upopolis to SickKids, a world-renowned centre for excellence in paediatric care," said Joe Natale, TELUS President, Consumer Solutions. "Kids are inseparable from technology. They rely on their social networks more than any previous generation. We're excited to champion a partnership that uses the power of technology to bring the virtual world to sick kids at the bedside, keeping them connected to their friends and family when they could feel isolated. It's important all year, and maybe that much more so during the holiday season. At TELUS, we believe that the private sector has a role to play in helping healthcare providers improve the patient experience. We look forward to more days like this when the private and public sectors come together to make a stay in the hospital a little easier for the young patients who matter most."

The online support network was inspired by the hospital experiences of two teenage friends, Christina Papaevangelou and Katy McDonald. In February 2002, Christina was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at McMaster Children's Hospital with a life-threatening illness. Shortly thereafter, Katy was diagnosed with cancer and was at SickKids for an extended period of time. During her hospitalization, Katy often felt disconnected from friends, family and her school. Sadly, Katy lost her battle with cancer. However, their friendship and common experiences inspired Christina to explore ways to help kids in care stay connected.

"It is my dream to expand Upopolis to every children's hospital across the country. We are excited to launch today at SickKids bringing us one step closer to that goal," said Basile Papaevangelou, chairman and founder of Kids' Health Links Foundation. "We were inspired to create Upopolis by the common hospital experiences shared at SickKids and McMaster Children's Hospital. Connecting the kids in care at these two hospitals and others brings to life the vision of the Kids' Health Links Foundation. "KHLF and TELUS launched the first Upopolis program in 2007 at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton and since then it is expanding to other hospitals and healthcare organizations across Canada, including B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver, IWK Health Centre in Halifax, CHEO in Ottawa and Lutherwood in Waterloo. By adapting the TELUS technology, the Upopolis team has developed the system to meet the specific needs of each hospital, whether adding French language capabilities or information specific to mental health.

About The Hospital for Sick Children SickKids is affiliated with the University of Toronto. It is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. As innovators, SickKids leads and partners to improve child health provincially, nationally and internationally through the integration of care, research and education, providing the best in complex and specialized family-centred care, groundbreaking scientific and clinical advances, sharing our expertise globally, enhancing an academic environment and championing an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.

About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 11.9 million customer connections including 6.4 million wireless subscribers, 4.1 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 100,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $137 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 2.6 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead our local philanthropic initiatives. For more information about TELUS, please visit TELUS.com.

About Kids' Health Links Foundation Kids' Health Links was founded by Basile Papaevangelou and his daughter Christina to connect, through technology, children in health care facilities across Canada with friends and family, their teachers and schoolwork. Kids' Health Links Foundation created Upopolis - an innovative, private online community for children in care. The Kids' Health Links technology solutions help to alleviate stress, isolation and loneliness for children in medical care in order to help children heal faster and better to overcome traumatic medical experiences.

Oct 28/09 – Upopolis launches at Lutherwood in Waterloo, Ontario

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Lutherwood’s residential program launches new secure website to connect children with community BY JOHANNA WEIDNER, RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO — Loneliness and isolation are often an extra burden for youth struggling with mental-health issues living in a treatment facility.

They can feel disconnected from friends and family — a problem compounded by the need to limit access to the technology youth depend on to stay in touch with their world. Now Lutherwood’s residential program has a safe way for youth to access the internet. Earlier this week, Lutherwood launched Upopolis, a secure online social networking site for children in specialized and hospital care.

“It’s another really important tool for kids to make a connection with each other and with important people in the community and important people in their lives,” said Lutherwood’s chief executive officer John Colangeli.

The site was created by Kids’ Health Links Foundation, a charity focused on helping children recover through technology solutions, and Telus. The pilot was launched in 2007 at the McMaster Children’s Hospital, and is spreading to hospitals across the country. These children’s facilities normally bar internet access due to concerns about privacy and inappropriate material. Lutherwood in Waterloo is the first children’s mental-health facility in the country to get Upopolis. “This is a wonderful way to have them be in a safe portal that’s designed for them,” Colangeli said.

Upopolis is basically like a specialized version of Facebook. After logging in, youth can email approved contacts and officials, such as welfare workers and probation officers. They can write a personal blog about their experiences or surf approved websites. They can get homework assignments from teachers and read child-friendly information about mental-health conditions.

Colangeli views the portal as a healing tool that will help the youth develop relationships, and eventually make the transition from the residence back into the community. “We’ve got high hopes for it,” he said. Many of the youth come to the facility from broken families, they’ve experienced abuse or struggled in school.

“They’re not really accepted anywhere,” Colangeli said. During their stay at Lutherwood, he said, “we’ve got to give them hope back in their lives.”

Two teenagers living at Lutherwood demonstrated Upopolis at the official launch on Wednesday, both eager to finally have a chance to use the site. They have been away from home for months, and saw Upopolis as a great way to connect again important people in their life. The pair also liked being able to look up information about their condition and treatment, post photos, and surf favorite sites.

May 6/09 – Upopolis launches in English & French at CHEO in Ottawa

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CHEO launches kids' social cyberspace in the hospital place Introducing 'Upopolis', Canada's first secure online community keeping kids in hospitals connected to each other.

OTTAWA, May 6 - Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), TELUS and Kids' Health Links Foundation today announce the launch of Upopolis, the first secure online social network for kids in hospital care in Ottawa. CHEO is the first hospital to launch Upopolis in English and French to meet the needs of their bilingual patients.

Created by Kids' Health Links Foundation (KHLF) and powered by TELUS, Upopolis provides the best features of social networking for young patients who often feel disconnected when they're in the hospital. Upopolis provides a personal profile, personal blogs, instant chat and child-friendly games. The site also provides unique features to kids in hospital like a homework site to stay up-to-date with their schoolwork, links to kid-friendly health and wellness information, and connections to other children with the same condition.

"We take in thousands of sick children and youth who have to stay in hospital for extended periods of time. We focus our care on keeping our young patients connected to their family and friends for support," said Michel Bilodeau, President and CEO, CHEO. "We are thrilled to launch Upopolis at our hospital using the power of technology to bring our family-centered care model to the next generation and extending the reach of care beyond the hospital walls."

"Technology has an important role to play in helping Canadian healthcare providers improve the patient experience," said Joe Natale, president, TELUS Business Solutions. "Upopolis brings kids the unique ability to have their world at the hospital bedside, connecting them to family, friends and other patients at anytime, not just during visiting hours. It uses the power of technology to make their hospital stay less isolating, keeping them plugged into the social networks that they depend on more than any other generation before them. The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has a long and deep history for improving the care of children in hospital and we're very pleased to bring Upopolis to this world-class institution."

Through a unique partnership with Kids' Health Links Foundation, TELUS provides the technology to develop and build Upopolis. TELUS continues to provide site expansion, ongoing access to Upopolis, managed Web hosting, and application support and maintenance services.

Kid's Health Links and TELUS launched the program last year at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario and since then it is expanding to other hospitals across Canada, including B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver and IWK Health Centre in Halifax. "Launching Upopolis for the first time in English and French demonstrates how this program is expanding to meet the needs of kids in hospital across Canada," said Basile Papaevangelou, chairman and founder of KHLF. "With the help of our partners and hospitals across the country we will expand the program to extend the reach for kids in care from coast to coast."

The online support network was inspired by the hospital experiences of two teenaged friends, Christina Papaevangelou and Katy McDonald. In February 2002, Christina was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at McMaster Children's Hospital with a life-threatening illness. Shortly after, Katy was diagnosed with cancer and had to be hospitalized for a long period of time, feeling disconnected from friends, family and keeping up with schoolwork. Sadly, Katy lost her battle with cancer. However, their friendship and common experiences inspired Christina to explore ways to help kids in care stay connected.

About CHEO The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is an academic institution affiliated with the University of Ottawa. Built in 1974, CHEO provides a full spectrum of pediatric services in a family centred model of care to children and youth from Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec aged 0 to 18 years. CHEO is home to the world class Research Institute, the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health and the Ontario Newborn Screening Program. CHEO is an active partner in the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, providing leadership in all aspects of pediatric health and wellbeing.

About Kids' Health Links Foundation Kids' Health Links was founded by Basile Papaevangelou and his daughter Christina to connect, through technology, children in health care facilities across Canada with friends and family, their teachers and schoolwork. Kids' Health Links Foundation created Upopolis - an innovative, private online community for children in care. The Kids' Health Links technology solutions help to alleviate stress, isolation and loneliness for children in medical care in order to help children heal faster and better to overcome traumatic medical experiences.

About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.7 billion of annual revenue and 11.6 million customer connections including 6.1 million wireless subscribers, 4.2 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $137 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 2.6 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead our local philanthropic initiatives. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.