Our Story
Written by Luc Moore, Co-Founder.
In February 2008, a good friend called me at work one day and asked if we could go out that night; he said he wanted to ask me something. I was working as a Kinesiologist at the time.
We met later that night, and he was pretty excited. He shared that it had always been a dream of his to cycle across Canada unassisted, with his gear packed on his bike, from Vancouver to PEI. He had a 2-month window and asked if I wanted to join him. Loving spontaneous adventures and being ignorant of what lay ahead, I said, sure, I’ll join. I then thought it was a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for a local charity, so I pitched the idea to the owner of Goodlife Fitness, and I dedicated my ride to their Kids Foundation.
Note: We weren’t cyclists; we only trained 65 km before our flight to Vancouver. Our trip was in the pre-smartphone era, so we had a map and would plan our next road day at night on any random computer we could find after a 12-hour day of cycling.
This trip was the most difficult physical and mental feat I have ever experienced. We encountered dangerous transport semi-trucks, rain, hail, sleet, and minus temperatures, and the headwind was enough to crush your soul and force you to quit.
In a positive light, the trip allowed me to see Canada in a way few people will ever see. The trip also played a life-changing role in my most profound healing. It was an unknown precursor for the ten years of rehab that would follow a near-fatal motorcycle accident I experienced on my way to work in July 2009. The following year, in July of 2010, my mom and I were involved in a t-bone car accident, and in 2011, my grandparents were involved in a car accident. None of the accidents were our fault, but we were left to pick up the pieces.
I suffered two traumatic brain injuries, an unstable open-book pelvic fracture, internal bleeding and a list of more than 50 other injuries. I was admitted to the ICU and then the Trauma Ward. It took me three months to take my first steps. Numerous doctors said I should be happy I survived the surgeries, given my vital signs and brain activity. They said forget sports……you're done with that now, chronic pain for life, kid. My mom suffered a head injury, whiplash and soft tissue injuries throughout her body, which took her years to recover from. My grandparents also suffered whiplash and soft tissue injuries.
When it was time for all of us to begin locating the healthcare professionals we needed, we were unprepared for how difficult this task would be. Our discharge coordinator, doctor, and lawyer had access to only a small referral network.
For example, if we needed a physiotherapist who worked with MVA insurance and offered IMS therapy with wheelchair access close to our home, we found it nearly impossible to find one. We were used to using aggregator websites for travel, like Expedia, but were dismayed that those websites did not exist in healthcare.
Professionally, before the accidents, my mother was an executive-level assistant for a respected not-for-profit, and I was a healthcare professional. We wanted to make a difference, so we got to work and dedicated ourselves. We met with government health officials, Ontario Health Regulators, Professional Associations, lawyers, doctors and discharge coordinators. They all voiced that a network like this would help the public. So, with the help of Stuart Moulton of the Ontario Kinesiology Association, we created it.
Health Locator lists businesses and their health professionals on a map page with health-specific search filters. The business and health professional profiles are comprehensive and contain all the vital information that the public needs in one place. The network promotes and increases public protection by including specific links on the profiles that direct users to the appropriate public registers and health professional association directories. Some associations even use Health Locator as their primary member directory.
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"OKA uses Health Locator as the preferred public search directory for our members. Health Locator saves us time, money and resources while helping our members increase their online visibility and accept new client requests. It is a collaborative platform that gives our members the ability to submit articles that will help educate the public while showcasing our association. Links on every profile ensure public protection by redirecting users to the appropriate public register, regulatory, and association website. We are looking forward to collaborating with Health Locator in the years to come.” Stuart Moulton, Executive Director of the Ontario Kinesiology Association |