Shout Media partnered with the Northern Ontario Primary Care Network (NOPCN) to design and launch a secure, user-friendly online platform that connects primary care providers across one of the most geographically vast regions in Ontario. This innovative solution ensures that clinicians working in remote and rural areas have the tools and resources they need to collaborate, share knowledge, and improve patient care.

he NOPCN unites primary care clinicians who support services across a region that represents 80% of Ontario’s landmass. In Northern Ontario, face-to-face interaction between health providers is often not possible, making collaboration and communication a major challenge.

The organization required a secure, real-time platform to bring together physicians, nurse practitioners, and other primary care professionals. The site needed to:

• Provide a central hub for reliable and up-to-date resources from the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health North, the Ontario Medical Association, and other partners.
• Allow for peer-to-peer communication, consultation, and collaboration.
• Be AODA-compliant and simple to use, while also meeting strict security and privacy requirements.

This was a brand-new concept for the network, requiring significant planning, project management, and consultation with stakeholders to develop the right framework.

Shout Media worked closely with the NOPCN team through a series of strategy sessions to establish goals, define needs, and create a framework for success. From there, we delivered:

• A secure online forum, powered by a self-hosted implementation of Discourse, giving NOPCN full control of admin and moderator roles.
• Carefully designed sitemap and wireframes to structure the site in a way that simplified navigation, ensured easy access to resources, and encouraged collaboration.
• Peer-vetted access, ensuring the forum contained only valuable and relevant discussions that supported practitioners.
• Collaboration tools enabling clinicians to share resources, ask and answer critical questions, identify challenges, and coordinate care across local, regional, and provincial levels.

Once launched, Shout Media provided ongoing consultation through bi-weekly and monthly meetings, helping align NOPCN’s forum with broader provincial initiatives and ensuring the platform could grow alongside the network’s evolving needs.

The NOPCN now has a secure, real-time communication platform that has strengthened connections between clinicians across Northern Ontario. Key outcomes include:

• Improved access to trusted resources and peer consultation.
• Stronger preparedness for system changes and health policy updates.
• Faster and more robust patient referrals.
• Increased collaboration among providers and health authorities.

By bridging geographic barriers, the NOPCN platform has created a unified digital space where clinicians can work together to deliver primary care excellence across the North. Today, Shout Media continues to support NOPCN as the platform evolves, ensuring it remains a vital tool for collaboration, communication, and better patient outcomes.