Toronto Western Hospital will use funds to provide a Canadian first - an advanced MRI machine, which provides highly sophisticated images at ultra-high resolution to improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases such as dementia, arthritis, brain and spinal cord injuries. (Photo: Dr. Van Weeden, Harvard University)
October 29 – TORONTO – The Slaight Family Foundation today announced that it will give $50 million to support the delivery of advanced healthcare at five Toronto hospitals. The gifts will be distributed equally, with $10 million provided to: University Health Network (UHN), St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Mount Sinai Hospital.
The Slaight family worked closely with each hospital to determine which projects should be funded to provide the best outcomes for patients.
"When we approached the hospitals with the idea of funding critical projects, we asked them what they needed in order to really make a difference for their patients. The projects we selected together are truly extraordinary. We feel profoundly grateful to be in a position to provide these hospital gifts, which we hope will benefit Torontonians for many years to come," said Gary Slaight. "We hope our gifts will be an inspiration for others to support healthcare in their own communities."
The Slaight family was joined by the presidents of each hospital as the donation was announced live by John Tory at an event in Toronto today.
"Philanthropy is the engine that drives research and innovation, as well as the creation of world class facilities and equipment,"" said Dr. Robert S. Bell, President and CEO of UHN. "These gifts from the Slaight Family Foundation are extraordinary in their vision and will truly impact the delivery of healthcare in Toronto."
The donations announced today will be used for a wide range of priorities, from doubling the size of the emergency room at St Mike's to enabling Sunnybrook to treat diseases previously thought untreatable through scalpel-less surgery. Toronto Western Hospital will use the funds to provide a Canadian first – a whole body MRI machine. CAMH will develop leading edge approaches to treating youth with severe mental health and addictions in a new youth centre. Mt Sinai will not only improve its labour and delivery centre, but it will also provide prenatal care and perinatal mental health outreach services to marginalized and vulnerable women.
"These gifts will make a real difference for the health of the people of Ontario, as we build centres of healthcare excellence that will be at the forefront of treatment and research," said Hon. Deb Matthews, Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
The Slaight Family Foundation Gifts, in detail:
Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation
Slaight Family Centre for Advanced MRI
Support for a Canadian first – an advanced, whole body MRI machine, which provides highly sophisticated images at ultra-high resolution to improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases such as dementia, arthritis, brain and spinal cord injuries.
St. Michael's Hospital Foundation
Slaight Family Emergency Department
The new emergency department will double in size with a new layout dividing care based on severity, creating urgent and non-urgent sections thus improving patient flow, reducing wait times as well as providing comfort and privacy during treatment. Additional features include an imaging suite with a CT scanner, a separate eight-bed mental health unit, enlargement of the two existing trauma rooms while adding a third trauma room to increase capacity.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
The Slaight Centre for Image-Guided Brain Therapy & Repair
Support for a PET-MRI imaging system that will allow for scalpel-less surgery to treat brain diseases such as dementia, stroke and Alzheimer's. Invented by experts at Sunnybrook, the only place in the world doing this research, the PET-MRI will be combined with ultra sound technologies to treat diseases previously thought untreatable. This treatment will destroy diseased tissues and permit safe delivery of drugs through the blood brain barrier with extreme precision.
CAMH Foundation
The Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition
This will be Canada's first centre dedicated to understanding and treating youth experiencing severe mental illness and addictions, bringing together research, support, education and practical tools for youth, their families and their service providers. Focused on developing leading-edge cognitive and brain stimulation treatments to prevent permanent brain changes, the centre will help youth improve social and intellectual function and maintain long-term recovery.
Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation
Advancing Maternal Care: Improving Quality, Access and Health Equity for Women in Canada and internationally
Teach maternity care education to family medicine physicians through the extension of the
Ada Slaight and Slaight Family Directorship in Family Medicine Maternity Care; establish The Slaight Family Maternal Equity Fund to provide prenatal care and perinatal mental health outreach services to marginalized and vulnerable women in Canada and Ethiopia and build
The Slaight Family Labour & Delivery Unit.
