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December 21, 2020 – HAMILTON – St. Joseph’s Health System is pleased to announce that John Yip has accepted the position of Senior Vice-President, Health System Performance and Chief Administrative Officer, and will join St. Joseph’s Health System, effective April 1, 2021.

John brings more than 23 years of leadership experience, working predominantly in health care. John worked for several consulting firms such as KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, CGI and his own consulting firm. Most recently, John joined Health Quality Ontario as their Vice President, Corporate Services, and in 2015, John became the President and CEO at Kensington Health, a role which he holds to this current day.

John oversees a diverse range of services including long-term care, community care, ambulatory diagnostic and surgical services, research, and academic partnerships across a range of entities under the Kensington Health banner. Throughout his tenure at Kensington Health, John has led transformation initiatives including a governance reorganization, brand strategy, strategy, financial optimization, business acquisition and capital expansion projects. More recently, John has stewarded Kensington’s pandemic response with poise, transparency, and integrity and launched Kensington’s health equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy.

Additionally, John is highly committed to regional and system-level planning, demonstrated through his participation at various regional and provincial planning tables and serving as a Board member on provincial and local health care organizations. John also co-chairs the Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team, working with 60+ health providers.

John holds a Master of Business Administration in Health Services Management from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Dalhousie University. Additionally, John is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

John is excited to take on this challenging leadership position and play an active role in the future of SJHS. St. Joseph’s Health System welcomes John to this new position and looks forward to working together to help grow the system in the years ahead.

About St. Joseph’s Health System
St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS) is one of the largest healthcare organizations in Canada, and is the only system in Ontario delivering a full continuum of health care services (acute care, long-term care, home care, palliative care, transitional care, rehab, etc.). SJHS covers a large geography, spanning two LHINs and serving more than 2 million people. SJHS is a globally recognized leader for innovation in models of patient-centred integrated care. SJHS has a unique partnership with Niagara Health to leverage each organization’s strengths to bring better care to the people in the communities we serve.

For More Information
Patrick Moore
Senior Public Affairs Specialist, St. Joseph’s Health System
M: 905.870.1293 | E: pmoore@stjoes.ca

St. Joseph’s Villa & Foundation are thrilled to announce another incredible gift of $100,000 from Hamilton philanthropists Charles and Margaret Juravinski. This generous donation enables St. Joseph’s Villa to provide essential programs and services at Margaret’s Place Hospice, slated to open in Spring 2021.

The gift comes in addition to the Juravinski’s original support of $2.7 million to Margaret’s Place. Having a deeply rooted history with St. Joseph’s Villa, they did not hesitate to support a hospice’s development on the campus. Their donation marks one of the largest gifts to a hospice in Canadian history.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to support initiatives like these in our community,” says Charles. “The hospice is named after my wife, Margaret, but it’s a place for all Margaret’s and anyone else who needs it.”

Margaret and Charles’ history with St. Joseph’s Villa dates back to 1988 when Margaret’s mother became a resident of the Villa. With her ten years of living at the Villa, the Juravinskis realized the importance of compassionate long-term care and the financial struggles to fund it. To give back for the care her mother received, they supported the redevelopment of St. Joseph’s Villa in 2002 with a $5 million gift – one of the largest gifts ever to a long-term care facility. The redevelopment was made possible through their contribution and created a new standard of long-term care in our community.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the Juravinskis have yet again played a pivotal role in our community by setting this new standard of hospice care through their commitment to Margaret’s Place Hospice.

“Support like this makes it possible for us to elevate the level of care and comfort at St. Joseph’s Villa,” says Don Davidson, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation. “Margaret and Charles’ friendship and commitment to the Villa over the years will leave a long-lasting impact on thousands of patients and their families who enter Margaret’s Place to spend their last days or weeks.”

About Margaret’s Place and hospice funding

Margaret’s Place Hospice is rising rapidly on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Villa. Construction has been uninterrupted throughout the pandemic and is set for completion in Spring 2021. The ten-bedroom hospice will accept patients of all ages who face terminal illnesses. Located in Dundas, Margaret’s Place is a tranquil setting backing onto the Spring Creek Ravine, giving patients and their families peace and dignity in their final days.

While hospice care is free to patients, the Ministry of Health only supports approximately 60 per cent of the operational expenses annually. To provide the services and programs for patients and their families, the St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation is responsible for the other 40 per cent – totaling approximately $520,000 every year. The Villa Foundation will continue to reach out to our community to sustain much-needed programs and services at the Villa and Hospice.

To learn more about Margaret’s Place and how you can help, visit: http://margaretsplacesjv.ca/

DUNDAS, ONTARIO — St. Joseph’s Villa & Foundation are thrilled to announce a leadership gift of $500,000 from Dundas Lions Club to Margaret’s Place Hospice at St. Joseph’s Villa. This generous Gift of Love puts St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation over the top of the $13,000,000 community capital fundraising goal.

Few of us will ever have the opportunity to make history or leave a legacy like this in our lifetimes. The Lions care deeply about our community, and they know how important it is to have dignified and compassionate end of life care. This gift will serve the Dundas and surrounding communities for decades to come. “Service clubs are the backbone of our community. We are very proud to live in a community that truly cares for one another. This gift will leave a lasting legacy of dignity, comfort and peace to thousands of families. This is truly the hospice that community built and this gift from the Dundas Lions Club confirms that,” said Don Davidson, Foundation President & CEO.

The Dundas Lions Club is an integral part of the Dundas community, as well as the Villa’s history. Margaret’s Place Hospice is one of the most important projects Dundas has seen in the last two decades. It is the first hospice to be built in the West Hamilton region that includes Dundas, Flamborough, the Ancaster area. “This hospice will impact the lives of thousands of patients of all ages, and their families, in the coming years. The need for a hospice in our community is great. It is important to offer those facing a life-limiting illness a place where they can spend their last days or weeks with their family in a setting where they are comfortable and their medical needs are taken care of. Margaret’s Place will not only serve patients, but it will also provide compassionate support to their families during the most difficult time in their lives”, said John Woods, President of St. Joseph’s Villa.

Since the launch of our Gift of Love Campaign for Margaret’s Place Hospice in 2018, our community has fully embraced this vision. “We are so thankful to our generous individual donors, local businesses, service groups and partners, for their compassion and faith in our work. This leadership gift is instrumental in taking us over our $13 million capital fundraising goal – it’s just wonderful” said Dave Curto, Villa Foundation Board Chair.

Hospice is now rising on the St. Joseph’s Villa Campus! Fortunately, construction has been uninterrupted during the pandemic and we expect the building to be enclosed by the time winter weather arrives. Work will continue on the interior over the winter months, with completion set for Spring 2021.

We stand at a very pivotal moment in our fundraising effort as we move from the Gift of Love campaign which is building Margaret’s place, to the Gift of Care that will ensure medical equipment, meals, programs and services are there for patients and their families.

The Dundas Lions Club take pride in the services they offer to make their community a better place to live, but they also know that they couldn’t do this without your help. With this in mind, they have put a challenge out to everyone in the Dundas, Ancaster, Flamborough, Hamilton communities, asking to collectively match their gift by making a Gift of Care. “We are honoured to have this opportunity to support such a worthy cause in our own town. Our mission is to raise funds and give back to the community. This legacy gift will serve families of Dundas and surrounding area for many years to come,” said John V. Grant, President, Dundas Lions Club.

On behalf of St. Joseph’s Villa and Foundation, our board of directors, and all of those who will be served through Margaret’s Place, Hospice at St. Joseph’s Villa, we extend a sincere thank you to the Dundas Lions Club.

About Hospice Funding

Although hospice care is free to patients, the Ministry of Health only supports approximately 60% of the operational expenses annually. To provide the services and programs for patients and their families, the Villa Foundation will be responsible for the other 40% which is approximately $520,000 a year . . . every year going forward. The Foundation will continue to reach out to our community in support of sustaining much-needed services at the Villa and Hospice.

For More Information

Don Davidson, President & CEO
St. Joseph’s Villa Foundation
(905) 627-3541
info@sjv.on.ca

(HAMILTON, NIAGARA) – NOVEMBER 12, 2020 – COVID Care @ Home is a new model of care delivered by St. Joseph’s Home Care (SJHC), in partnership with St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS), Niagara Health and community partners that connects patients to care wherever they are, whenever they need it.

Starting at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Niagara Health, with rapid expansion to Kitchener, this new model of care for COVID patients will provide 24/7 access to high-quality care from one integrated team in the home and in community settings like retirement homes, shelters and hospices.

COVID Care @ Home is a uniquely designed program intended for those with a confirmed COVID diagnosis who do not require hospitalization. Complimenting existing local COVID initiatives, the program will support integrated care at home, early discharge from hospitals with supports and help to prevent hospitalization. It will also help to prevent outbreaks by providing Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) and coaching support for community congregate settings.

Patients will be assessed to determine what level of service will be provided. Vulnerable patients who are at risk of hospitalization and who require additional supports and services will have access to an integrated clinical care team, remote monitoring and at-home and virtual visits to support a safe recovery at home. This same model of care will be available to patients discharged from hospital so they can safely return home sooner.

This innovative, flexible model would provide COVID patients access to services that may not typically be within the scope of traditional home and community care supports. Patients will be cared for by one integrated team representing a variety of providers whose clinical decisions are empowered through the use of a single electronic patient record to support patients in the following ways:

• Virtual Care (phone, video and remote patient monitoring)
• One number to call 24/7
• One clinical team
• One electronic record
• System navigation / connection to social supports
• Access to specialists
• IPAC Support

St. Joseph’s Home Care will lead this innovative transformation to connect home care to a broad range of services for COVID patients and work in collaboration with other service provider organizations and primary care.

SJHS is one of the largest healthcare organizations in Canada, and the only system in Ontario delivering a full continuum of integrated health care services.

“We’ve learned a tremendous amount about COVID-19 over the last several months,” said Tom Stewart, St. Joseph’s Health System President and CEO and CEO of Niagara Health. “This new program builds on partnerships and learnings by increasing our focus on virtual care and specialized COVID care teams that crosses normal silos of care. This will help us through the second and future waves of the pandemic as well as prepare us for system transformation needed in healthcare.”

The program is designed to support older adults who are at greater risk of physical and mental health decline. Patients will be enrolled by the clinical teams at the time of their COVID 19 diagnosis.

The new model will also help to protect capacity in hospitals by expanding supports and services in the community through a dedicated team that will facilitate care at home, support safe discharges from hospital and limit unnecessary Emergency Department visits. This will help hospitals to maintain capacity and services during a second wave as well as continuing scheduled surgeries to reduce wait lists and backlogs.

About St. Joseph’s Home Care

Since 1921, St. Joseph’s Home Care has provided high quality, values-based home and community services in a spirit of compassion and dedication. We have evolved from a nursing agency to offering a much broader range of services, and our steadfast commitment to delivering exemplary client-focused care to the Hamilton community continues.

About St. Joseph’s Health System

St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS) is one of the largest healthcare organizations in Canada, and is the only system in Ontario delivering a full continuum of health care services. SJHS is a globally recognized leader for innovation in models of patient-centred integrated care. SJHS has a unique partnership with Niagara Health to leverage each organization’s strengths to bring better care to the people in the communities we serve.

About Niagara Health:

Niagara Health is a regional healthcare provider with multiple sites and a growing network of virtual and community-based services. We provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services to more than 450,000 residents across Niagara, including Acute Care, Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Complex Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, Kidney Care, Long-Term Care, Mental Health and Addictions, Stroke Care and Surgical Care.

About St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

As a premier academic and research healthcare organization, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is committed to making a difference in people’s lives and creating a lasting future for our community through integrated health services and internationally recognized programs. Our threefold mission is to provide dynamic research, revolutionary methods in health sciences education and the highest standard of clinical care in a spirit of compassion, innovation and commitment.

For More Information:

Patrick Moore
Senior Public Affairs Specialist, St. Joseph’s Health System
M: 905.870.1293 | E: pmoore@stjoes.ca

Steven Gallagher
Communications Specialist, Niagara Health
P: 289-696-6767 | E: Steven.Gallagher@niagarahealth.on.ca

 

Community invited to share #91Reasons why Hamilton is grateful to the Juravinskis and to honour Charles’ 91st birthday

Charles and Margaret Juravinski have turned the tables on the typical birthday tradition of receiving gifts.

Instead, Margaret and Charles, who turned 91 on Nov. 1, chose to give a gift – a new investment of $3 million to support health research through the Juravinski Research Institute, a partnership between Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

“This has been an unprecedented year in so many ways,” said Charles. “The dedication and commitment we have seen by the research community and clinical teams has motivated and inspired Margaret and me to make another gift. When we made our gift in the spring, our goal was to inspire hope. We’d like this new gift to continue to inspire hope, collaboration and action.

“Margaret and I don’t really need anything for our birthdays. Instead, what would give us the most joy, is to see our donations making a difference right now, by supporting the bright, talented research community that calls Hamilton home.”

The new gift will fund new important health research projects through the Juravinski Research Institute, which was established through the couple’s transformative $100-million legacy estate gift in May 2019.

Earlier this year, at the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Juravinskis made a $3.3 million gift to support COVID-19 and brain health research.

“We know Charles and Margaret want to encourage others by their actions and build on the success of the phenomenal health research they have already helped foster here in Hamilton,” said Dr. Julian Dobranowski, of the Juravinski Research Institute.

“The impact of these investments will continue to benefit people everywhere, for generations to come. We are so thankful for their trust in our researchers, their belief in the work we all do and their tremendous generosity.”

Three additional COVID-19-related projects are being supported as part of the 2020 funding:

• Assessing the success, impact and practicality of saliva-based COVID-19 testing for scale up for large asymptomatic populations, such as seniors in retirement homes. Amica Senior Lifestyles is co-funding the study.
• Assessing the risk of outbreak and infection in retirement homes and creating tools to help public health units and retirement home operators assess risk and target preventative and contingency interventions
• Examining the use of virtual care to help vulnerable seniors with socialization, exercise, nutrition and medication support during the COVID-19 pandemic

The funding has been directed to support strategic initiatives as identified by Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and through their respective research institutes. This year’s funding will be allocated to support research related to health system transformation.

Past gifts from the Juravinskis have made a tremendous impact across Hamilton for decades. The Juravinskis’ previous investments have:

• helped to renovate and build new hospitals and healthcare facilities
• funded scholarships, research chairs and fellowships
• supported areas of care ranging from cancer to geriatrics, respirology to mental health and addictions

#91Reasons Twitter campaign

Beginning today (Monday, Nov. 2), Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton are inviting the #HamOnt community to share on Twitter why they are thankful for the Juravinskis. The goal is to reach #91Reasons to honour Charles’ 91st birthday, and to kick off the campaign, Rob MacIsaac, Dr. Paul O’Byrne and Dr. Tom Stewart are sharing their own reasons.

Rob MacIsaac, President and CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences

“Charles and Margaret Juravinski have demonstrated their commitment to our community again and again. Their generosity is particularly inspirational during these difficult times when all of us are looking for some good news. Their commitment to supporting healthcare and health research continues to positively impact our ability to advance healthcare here in Hamilton, and around the world.”

Dr. Paul O’Byrne, Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

“Charles and Margaret Juravinski have redefined what it means to leave a legacy. We are so grateful for their unwavering support of transformative health research that is improving people’s health and well-being here at home, across the country, and around the world. They inspire us to be bold, collaborative and single-minded in the pursuit of finding answers to some
of our most pressing health questions. Charles and Margaret are true champions.”

Dr. Thomas Stewart, President & CEO, St. Joseph’s Health System & CEO, Niagara Health

“There are so many reasons to be thankful for the Juravinskis, it’s hard to choose just one. What I am most thankful for, is the Juravinskis’ desire to see St. Joe’s, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences work together for the wider, greater good. There’s no shortage of great minds, world-leading research, and unparalleled patient care right here in Hamilton – but it’s only by working together that we will truly be able to improve the health of people both locally and globally. The Juravinskis have bestowed on us the funds to change lives. We look forward to making them very proud of their investment in healthcare research.”

How to Participate in #91Reasons

1. Consider why you’re thankful for the Juravinskis and their investments in Hamilton healthcare and research
2. Write it, Record it or Photograph it

• Record a short video message of thanks to the Juravinskis
• Feeling camera shy? Write your message on a piece of paper or a chalkboard
• Or find a memorable or meaningful photo to share with your message

3. Share Your Reason on Twitter

• Don’t forget to use the hashtags #91Reasons and #JuravinskiLegacy
• For added engagement, you can also use hashtags like #HamOnt