Rachel Pott
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Drs. Judith Peranson and Danyaal Raza
Posted by Rachel Pott 
· June 24, 2017 
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Moving the dial on poverty and health

Posted on St. Michael’s Hospital.

In 1996, Dr. Stephen Hwang joined St. Michael’s Hospital as its first researcher on inner city health, driven by a commitment to care for the least among us: “I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the lives of people who might not otherwise have access to care if I weren’t there to provide it.”

Dr. Hwang

Dr. Stephen Hwang approaches Seaton House, Canada’s largest shelter for men, where he conducts a half-day a week clinic. (Photo by Michelle Gibson)

Now, 21 years later, he is the director of the Centre for Urban Health Solutions and the inaugural Chair of Homelessness, Housing and Health, among more than 25 researchers who are focused on the health consequences of social inequity, the only Canadian hospital-based research organization to do so.  “It’s the largest and most accomplished group of its type in Canada,” said Dr. Hwang.

The driving force for that growth, according to Dr. Hwang, has been “the hospital’s unwavering dedication to its mission of serving the poor and disadvantaged.” From the hospital’s first days, when it was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph after the diphtheria epidemic of 1890-91, the focus was on caring for the sick poor of Toronto’s inner city, and on treating everyone with respect, compassion and dignity – a commitment enshrined in the hospital’s mission and values.

For Sister Georgette Gregory, who first worked at St. Michael’s when she was 16 years old, in 1956, the hospital has always kept to the motto of “What you do to the least of my brethren you do unto me.” At the time, there were special floors for the poor and disadvantaged. “I saw the sisters who ran these floors do many small things for patients who shared a problem,” said Sister Georgette. “They always found a way to help them.”

Sister Therese Cleary remembers many acts of kindness from the well-known supervisor of obstetrics, Sister Vincenza (who was born Vincentia Mullen), in the 1950s. “The Sister had a great love for the poor mothers who could not afford the care given to them on delivery of the baby,” said Sister Therese. “Dr. O’Leary and other staff doctors delivered them pro bono.” They never asked their religion, ethnic origin or if they had money to pay – if they didn’t, they simply were not forced to do so.

Currently, the hospital’s focus toward vulnerable populations is through both clinical care and research – with an emphasis on pragmatic and policy-level solutions. “We have clinicians who are outstanding at providing health care for people who are marginalized or disadvantaged,” said Dr. Hwang, “but we also have a dream team of world-class researchers studying these issues and developing solutions.”

This dual focus allows them to provide clinical care but also take a step back from the day-to-day to look at long-term, solution-based changes. “Our daily experience in the clinic helps inform and guide us in terms of problems at both the individual and system level,” says Dr. Hwang, who spends a half-day each week seeing patients at one of Canada’s largest shelters for men, Seaton House.

Looking toward the next 125 years, C-UHS hopes to make a measurable impact on urban health and in the lives of those who are disadvantaged, not just in Toronto but across the country.

“In emerg, which was always busy at night, I can remember many a poor street person coming in for treatment for cuts and bruises or fractures. The nurses knew letting them go out was very hard on them. The nurses would often make a sandwich or soup for them as they were hungry. They often slept on til morning. Many needed showers to remove the grime that had accumulated on their frail bodies as well as the lice build-up. We had wonderful orderlies who, without a complaint, showered and de-loused them and gave them clean clothes. This became a normal routine.”
– Sister Therese Cleary

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Tags : health, poverty, St, St. Michael's hospital
'Candy Stripers' volunteering at St. Michael's
Posted by Rachel Pott 
· June 20, 2017 
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Donating time

Posted on St. Michael’s Hospital.

In April 1920, a group of 65 women, who had volunteered with the Red Cross in World War I, came together to form the Women’s Auxiliary to St. Michael’s Hospital. The precursor to both the current volunteer program and the hospital foundation, they began by producing linens – everything from sheets to clothes and drapes – all the while raising funds for the hospital.

Today, there are 500 volunteers who cover 430 four-hour placements a week, With volunteers in 70 areas of the hospital, Michael Kidd, director of volunteer services, said, “We have volunteers in so many places and we look for placements that are both satisfying for the volunteer and improve the patient and family experience here at St. Michael’s.”

The average volunteer has also changed. Originally, most were the wives of physicians, but now men make up 30 per cent of the volunteer base. Volunteer ages range from 16 to 90, from students considering health care as a career, to working professionals looking to give back and older adults in an active retirement. Forty per cent each are under 25 years of age and over 55. Yet, there are more similarities than differences, said Kidd: “All of our volunteers want to give back to the hospital and we love the diversity of people and ages we have.

The volunteers supplement the services provided by the hospital, greeting, informing, guiding and comforting patients and their families. They go above and beyond to create a supportive environment and reduce stress, because “when a volunteer goes into a patient’s room, they look for anything they can do to improve the patient’s stay with us.” said Kidd.

For Mary Joy Sloan, a 32 year veteran volunteer, even tea time is an opportunity for extra attention and care: “I usually put a tea bag in a teapot, and I give them a nice cup and saucer, and I find some cookies. And I put out the milk, the cream and sugar, with spoons so they can take the tea bag out when they want.”

Volunteer at St. Michael's

Volunteer Dan Har Li makes her rounds in the Medical Daycare Unit, 2015. (Photo by Yuri Markarov)

The volunteers make a difference every day, said Kidd, giving “tens of thousands of hours a year, which translates into hundreds of thousands of moments of service, on a day-to-day basis.” The hospital thanks volunteers through its recognition program, acknowledging hours and years of service. But what keeps volunteers coming back year after year is knowing their time was well spent, with placements that match their personalities and talents.

And how does St. Michael’s volunteer program compare to other hospitals? “I think we have a terrific program, but then again, why wouldn’t I say that,” laughed Kidd.  One thing is certain: “It doesn’t seem to matter what you do here, everybody is treated with respect. And I think that’s so very important,” said Sloan.

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Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
Posted by Rachel Pott 
· June 14, 2017 
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A quarter century of inspired fundraising

Posted on St. Michael’s Hospital.

Alayne Metrick, president of the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, sits in silence for a moment when asked what she’d consider the biggest fundraising moment in her time with the foundation. “Oh boy, there’s a lot of them…” And there are. Having recently announced her retirement, she is leaving a very different organization than the one she joined in 1995, just three years after the foundation was established, under the leadership of the first board chair, Hart Macdougall, and the first president, Ingrid Perry.

“The year prior to my arrival, a much smaller organization than it is today, raised a little over $3 million. They had done some fundraising in the ‘80s, but it wasn’t a major industry like it is today,” said Metrick. In the early ‘90s, there was a great need for significant fundraising – St. Michael’s had the largest debt of any hospital in the country, and paying it back left very little money to spend on equipment or research.

Behind these successes lie the mission and values of the hospital.

Metrick was asked to start a capital campaign, the first of four in her 22-year tenure. That first year, the foundation brought in $5.5 million net; in 2014-15, it raised $53.2 million in total revenue. Said Metrick, “In that period of time, the hospital was transformed. The completion of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute changed the hospital forever.

Alayne Metrick

Alayne Metrick

In a great way. And the new Gilgan tower, the Cardinal Carter expansion…” The list is extensive.

The most recent Inspire 2018 campaign was St. Michael’s most ambitious and successful, raising $237 million – $27 million beyond their goal – allowing St. Michael’s to become the premiere critical care hospital in Canada. Looking toward the future, Metrick says, “I just think we have nowhere to go but up.”

One of the most significant achievements has been the 100 per cent physician participation in the last three capital campaigns, a North American first.

“At first I thought it would be impossible, that nobody could do this,” said Metrick. “But two of the co-chairs at the time, John Tory and Tim Griffin, said, ‘Well now, Alayne, it’s St. Michael’s.’ And they were right, and we did.”

Behind these successes lie the mission and values of the hospital, and a dedication to treating all with respect, compassion and dignity. “It just permeates the place,” said Metrick. “It’s the number one reason we’ve been able to be successful. When staff and volunteers act with compassion and provide excellence every day, our donors are appreciative.”

Capital campaigns over the years

  1. Help us watch over you
    (1996 to 1999)

Target: $20 million
Raised: $23 million
Purpose: to replace equipment and fund renovations.

  1. It all starts with caring
    (2001 to 2004)

Target: $40 million
Raised: $60 million
Purpose: to fund translational research and part of the Cardinal Carter expansion.

  1. Advancing Care. Every Day.
    (2006 to 2009)

Target: $120 million
Raised: $140 million
Purpose: to support the creation of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute in 2011.

  1. Inspire 2018
    (2011 to 2015)

Target: $210 million
Raised: $237 million
Purpose: to fund an ambitious redevelopment project to transform patient care at our hospital, called St. Michael’s 3.0, which includes a new patient care tower at the corner of Queen and Victoria streets, a renovated Emergency Department and significant upgrades to improve the existing hospital space.

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First blood transfusion
Posted by Rachel Pott 
· June 12, 2017 
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Brief history of medical laboratories at St. Michael’s Hospital

Posted on St. Michael’s Hospital.

There’s one discipline that interacts with each inpatient and nearly every outpatient at St. Michael’s – the medical laboratories. Balancing research, teaching and clinical testing – more than six million tests in 2015 – the medical laboratories provide a vital service to the hospital and the patients we care for.

For Dr. Bernadette Garvey, who joined St. Michael’s in 1968 and was chief of Laboratory Medicine from 1996 to 2000, the laboratories have become “a highly efficient, highly respected, absolutely essential service at the hospital.”

Over the years, our laboratories have become among the top in the city; the expertise and reputation of the department were, among many other significant achievements, pivotal in acquiring the adult hemophilia comprehensive care centre, the largest in the country.

Since the early 1900s, the laboratories have provided a continuous service to St. Michael’s – but not without challenges. While the hospital has always recognized the need for and value of laboratory services, they most often occupied spaces vacated by others – from shared rooms in nearby church basements to an overheated nursery in 1964, cooled off with an air conditioning unit obtained from the local wine shop. It moved to 2 Cardinal Carter in 1982, the first space designed specifically for the labs since 1912.

Even while struggling for space and resources, the labs have achieved tremendous successes over the years. In 1915, St Michael’s Hospital was one of the first hospitals to have performed a blood transfusion. It installed one of the first fully automated laboratory lines in Canada, leading to turnaround times for routine biochemistry and hematology that remain among the shortest in North America.  In addition, the labs serve as a reference laboratory for renal and eye pathology, clinical toxicology and hemostasis, amongst others.

Future changes in the laboratories “may be even more dramatic,” said Dr. Garvey. “There will always be a need to evolve and respond to changes as science becomes more and more precise.”

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