Good morning, TeamUHN!
It is a pleasure to connect with you across care, research, and education through this weekly CEO update – all in service of A Healthier World.
Reminders and updates
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Congratulations to colleagues at West Park Healthcare Centre who completed their move into a beautiful new hospital building over the weekend! At 7:10 a.m. on Sunday, the first patient to move into the new hospital building was "clapped in" by staff and clinicians! Nearly 250 patients were moved in over 10 hours, with 600 staff, 40 volunteers and 40 movers onsite – a terrific achievement!
It was also tremendous to connect with TeamUHN colleagues at West Park last week, where so much positive change is afoot and the excitement is palpable. Although bittersweet to close the old hospital where so many wonderful memories with patients and colleagues were shared, there is so much enthusiasm about the new hospital and what this means for patients and the care they receive. I encourage all members of TeamUHN to reach out to their new colleagues at West Park. The future together is very bright!
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Last Thursday, UHN was again fortunate to host an enthusiastic delegation of 23 Dutch hospital executives on a study visit to Canada. I was pleased to speak to the group about leadership imperatives for addressing current and future health system challenges and upholding our commitment to
the needs of the patient come first. Several members of UHN's Executive Leadership Forum also joined me for a leadership roundtable. Our colleagues from the Netherlands then presented insights from the Dutch health care system and the paradigm shifts required to address key health care needs of the Dutch population for the future. Despite the distance between us, we share many of the same challenges for the road ahead. The group later toured the labs at KITE Research Institute at UHN's Toronto Rehab, a global leader in complex rehabilitation. My sincere thanks to the team in my office and our colleagues at KITE for organizing and facilitating this fantastic visit. Sharing knowledge with international colleagues is a key element in our collective drive to build A Healthier World. I'm happy that a similar delegation from the Netherlands will return to UHN this fall.
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April is Be A Donor Month, championed by Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN). This month reminds us of the critical need for organ donation and the importance of registering consent to become a donor. In Ontario, 1,400 people on average are waiting for a lifesaving organ and, tragically, someone on a waitlist dies every three days. UHN is proud to operate Canada's largest and most prolific transplant program. In 2023, the Ajmera Transplant Centre completed a record 715 transplants – including 586 deceased donations and 129 living donations – which was the fifth-most in North America. However, the demand for organs far exceeds supply. Consider registering online at BeADonor.ca or in person at Service Ontario. Be sure to read this UHN News story in which the recipient of a rare, five-organ transplant reflects with gratitude on his "incredible gift."
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Don't miss
this wonderful story about a family's profound gratitude to UHN and Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) for giving their son a “second chance at life" after his diagnosis of a rare, cancerous brain tumour. James Kanarek, who at 24 was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma – a rare tumour of the skull base – underwent two high-risk but successful surgeries at TWH to remove the tumour wrapping around his carotid artery, the main highway of blood to the brain. His mother, Mary Connell, told UHN News about the kindness of a TeamUHN member from housekeeping who took the time to assure her that she and her family had come to the best place to get the surgery and that they could “ask anybody here in this building for help, and somebody will help you." That is an inspiring and excellent reminder of the power of every TeamUHN member to make a difference for patients and their families. Read the full story at UHN News and watch the video linked below.
Video of the Week
And now… our
video of the week. To help mark Parkinson's Awareness Month, Canadian comedy legend Catherine O'Hara shares her pride in the work UHN is doing to stay at the forefront of medical excellence.
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Have a good week,
Kevin
