Tampa, Fla.-based Shriners Hospitals for Children repurposed its telehealth technology to allow pediatric patients at four of its facilities to video chat with an off-site "Santa Claus" earlier this month.
Shriners Hospitals for Children partnered with its technology services and solutions provider Dimension Data to connect pediatric patients in Chicago, Philadelphia, Greenville, S.C., and Spokane, Wash., with Santa Claus Dec. 11-12.
The high-definition video cameras and large screens patients used to video chat with Santa Claus are the same technology medical professionals at the health system use to consult with patients at off-site locations throughout the year.
"Telehealth services can help bring the magic of the holidays and modern medicine to people who may not otherwise be able to experience either," said Mitchell Hershkowitz, go-to-market executive of digital workplace at Dimension Data Americas.