Cat Lake First Nation ᐱᔑᐎᓴᑲᐃ ᑲᓂᒃ Leads Health Transformation in the North - Partnering with TytoCare to Expand Access to Healthcare in Remote Indigenous Communities

A Community-Led Health Transformation Project Backed by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Reimagines Care for Canada’s Most Remote Communities

Cat Lake, ON — February 10, 2026 — TytoCare has partnered with Cat Lake First Nation ᐱᔑᐎᓴᑲᐃ ᑲᓂᒃ in Northern Ontario to help reshape healthcare delivery in one of Canada’s most remote Indigenous communities. The initiative introduces a community-led advanced diagnostic virtual care model designed to overcome severe access barriers in fly-in and ice-road-only regions, while prioritizing self-determination, cultural alignment, and clinical excellence.

TytoCare’s Pro Smart Clinic enables remote exams comparable to in-person visits. These include heart and lung exams (featuring a world first AI Lung Suite detecting abnormal lung sounds), throat and ear assessments, skin exams and body temperature measurements. By leveraging this technology, clinicians can diagnose and treat more conditions remotely, reducing the need for traditional in-office visits by creating unique pathways for faster access to care focused on improving health outcomes for patients.

Cat Lake First Nation will deploy multiple TytoClinics across new and existing community care paths. Physicians from Sioux Lookout Regional Physician Services will deliver care remotely, supported in community by Indigenous Services Canada nurses. A rigorous three-phase evaluation—planning, implementation, and impact—is being led by the Centre for Digital Health Evaluation (CDHE) at Women’s College Hospital, and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) using the Canadian Network for Digital Health Evaluation (CNDHE) framework. This ensures alignment with national standards and positions the pilot for broader recognition and scale.

This initiative addresses urgent healthcare challenges in communities lacking permanent road access, where limited medical services often result in costly and disruptive medevacs. By introducing advanced diagnostic capabilities, the program shifts the focus from a standard primary care model to diagnostic care—improving continuity, reducing unnecessary evacuations, and ensuring patients receive high-quality treatment within their own community.

“This project reflects a fundamentally different approach to virtual care,” said Joe Brennan, VP at TytoCare. “It is community-led, clinically rigorous, and designed around the realities of remote Indigenous communities. Cat Lake First Nation and NAN are showing what is possible when technology supports local leadership.”

“With the support of regional medical professionals and TytoCare’s advanced diagnostic tools, Cat Lake First Nation is entering a new era of healthcare,” said Chief Russell Wesley. “By enabling direct physician communication and enhanced remote monitoring, we are moving far beyond traditional telehealth. For a remote community without year-round road access, this innovation does more than eliminate the burdens of medical travel—it makes high-quality local care a reality. We are building a foundation of wellness for future generations and demonstrating a sustainable healthcare model for other Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities.”

This partnership marks TytoCare’s first public sector project in Canada and represents a significant step toward expanding equitable access to healthcare in remote and underserved regions.

For further information, please contact: 

Tammy Lehtinen | Cat Lake Health Transformation Lead |cell 807-700-3947 tammy@sedulousengagement.com

Mira Marcus | TytoCare PR | mira.marcus@tytocare.com

Background (Project, Cat Lake First Nation and TytoCare)
This collaborative initiative is driven by a forward-looking coalition of partners committed to Indigenous health equity. Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) provides strategic leadership, with critical insight and support from Boehringer Ingelheim’s PATHWAYS initiative. Clinical expertise and integration are led by the Sioux Lookout Regional Physicians’ Services (SLRPSI). Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The project’s impact is measured and refined through the evaluation expertise of Women’s College Hospital Centre for Digital Health Evaluation and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI), all supported by Ontario Health to ensure regulatory compliance.

About Cat Lake First Nation ᐱᔑᐎᓴᑲᐃ ᑲᓂᒃ
Cat Lake First Nation is a remote Anishinaabe community located approximately 180 kilometers north of Sioux Lookout in Northwestern Ontario. As a fly-in community, Cat Lake is home to a population of approximately 650 residents living on-reserve. The community remains disconnected from all-season provincial road networks, relying instead on air travel and a limited seasonal ice road that is only accessible for a short period each year.  Today, Cat Lake remains a vibrant community that honors its traditions of harvesting and fishing—while leading the way in modern health and sustainability initiatives to protect its heritage and support its future generations.

About TytoCare
TytoCare, recently named one of the Top HealthTech Companies for 2025 by TIME and included in the 2025 Best Inventions List by TIME, is a virtual healthcare company that enables leading health plans and providers to deliver remote healthcare to the whole family through its Home Smart Clinic. With a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, FDA-cleared device with embedded AI, the Home Smart Clinic enables the whole family to conduct remote physical exams with a doctor, replicating in-clinic exams for immediate answers from home. TytoCare drives utilization rates that are six times higher than traditional telehealth services; reduces the total cost of care by an average of 8.5 percent; diverts ED visits by an average of 11.3 percent; and has a high average NPS of 83. The Home Smart Clinic includes Tyto Engagement Labs™, a proven framework of engagement journeys designed for the successful deployment and adoption of the solution. To complete its offering, TytoCare also provides the Pro Smart Clinic, for professional settings outside the home to serve rural clinics, schools, workplaces, and more. TytoCare serves over 250 major health systems and health plans in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.