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Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

– 2 Corinthians 9:7

Together with our partners at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Villa, we mourn the loss of Charles Juravinski. One would need to look far and wide to find a more cheerful giver than the late Charles Juravinski. Together with his wife, Margaret, their boundless philanthropy left an indelible mark not only on the St. Joseph’s Health System, but on the wider healthcare system in Hamilton, and on our community as a whole.  With gifts that helped to build new care facilities, fund cancer care, foster health research, and destigmatize mental health care, there are few people in our community who have not benefitted from their generosity. But beyond his trademark generosity, Charles was also a passionate advocate for collaboration. He encouraged us to work together, within the St. Joseph’s Health System, and across the community with our partners in caring at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. He believed that collaboration would foster new knowledge, new research and a healthier future for all. And we believe that, too. We commit to honouring Charles’ memory and his legacy through innovation, collaboration and steadfast commitment to the mission set out by our Founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, who believed it was an honour to serve our community. In closing, we offer our most sincere condolences to Margaret Juravinski upon the loss of her husband of 65 years. May he rest in peace knowing he will be remembered as the most cheerful giver our Health System has ever known.

 

 Dr. Anne Anderson, csj
Chair, St. Joseph’s Health System Board of Directors

Ms. Winnie Doyle
Interim President and CEO, St. Joseph’s Health System

St. Joseph’s Health System and its six-member organizations support the new vaccination policy for healthcare settings announced by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. We appeal to all staff, physicians, learners and volunteers across our member organizations to get fully vaccinated. Those that are exempt on human rights grounds, including medical conditions, will be supported with an accommodation plan.

The benefits of a fully-vaccinated workforce are imperative in healthcare settings where we care for people at their most vulnerable, who may be immunocompromised or not able to be fully-vaccinated, such as children and infants. The health and safety of our workforce is paramount as we continue to confront the challenges that COVID-19 has imposed. The Delta variant is more transmissible and so the risk of outbreak and spread is higher than anything we have seen since this pandemic began.

Two-dose vaccination is the single most impactful tool currently available to protect those we care for and our workforce as we confront the fourth wave.
As healthcare workers we are called to serve and do no harm. We have a responsibility to do everything in our power to create healing spaces that are conducive to high-quality care.

St. Joseph’s Health System supports our member-organizations in all efforts to increase vaccination rates for all staff, physicians, learners and volunteers. This includes requiring all staff, physicians, learners and volunteers to report their vaccination status. In addition, starting September 7, 2021 all new hires, physicians and volunteers across all St. Joseph’s Health System organizations will also be required to be fully vaccinated.

Now is a time to lead and protect the health and safety of our workforce and our community.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton launches vision for 2025 with new strategic plan

On Monday, November 4th St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton  launches its strategic plan for the next five years after a unique process shaped by the voices of staff and physicians, learners and volunteers, patients and families, community members and partner organizations. St. Joe’s is proud to share the promotion of its new strategic plan: Committed to Excellence. Dedicated to Discovery, as well as the plan’s four clear directions: Leading. Learning. Building. Caring. Read the plan at: stjoes.ca/strategicplan.

“St. Joe’s new strategic plan was designed to serve our region’s aging demographics and vulnerable populations, providing care where it suits patients’ needs, promoting smooth transitions between services within the hospital and with our partners in our community,” says Melissa Farrell, President, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. “At St. Joe’s we are committed to providing state-of-the-art care, delivered with compassion, dignity and respect, every time.


From left to right: Mr. Adriaan Korstanje, Chair, St. Joseph’s Hamilton Joint Boards of Governors; Ms. Melissa Farrell, President, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton; Dr. Thomas Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Joseph’s Health System, and Chief Executive Officer, Niagara Health

As part of the new Hamilton Health Team, St. Joseph’s leaders consulted with a variety of local and provincial health, academic, social service, and research partners with alignment in mind. As an integral member of St. Joseph’s Health System, this plan will also play an important role in the broader healthcare system, especially when it comes to leading in the expansion of Integrated Comprehensive Care (ICC).

“With ICC, we’re transforming the entire experience of care by connecting a community of healthcare providers: one team, one record, one number to call 24/7,” says Dr. Tom Stewart, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System. “Today this helps patients with navigating the system when undergoing thoracic surgeries, hip and knee replacements, urology surgeries and patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF). By focusing on expanding this as a strategic initiative, more patients will benefit.”


Ana MacPherson, Integrated Care Coordinator, ICC, has virtual visits with her patient, Georgia Carbary, using MyDovetale, an online portal for patients.

As a University Research Hospital, teaching the world’s best and developing research that creates a healthier world will continue to be top priority. St. Joe’s plans to further grow its research leadership, particularly in the areas of Mental Health & Addiction, Kidney & Urinary, Respiratory health and Integrated Comprehensive Care. St. Joe’s is also committed to building an inspiring place to work through initiatives that strengthen teams and progresses towards equity, diversity and inclusion in new ways.


Dr. Parameswaran Nair, Professor of Medicine at McMaster University and a respirologist and researcher at St. Joe’s Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, and Dr. Sarah Svenningsen, a Banting post-doctoral research fellow, are using functional MRI to locate specific areas of the lungs affected by severe asthma with the goal of creating targeted therapies.

To develop this plan, St. Joe’s took a unique approach to community engagement. The hospital reached out to 170 internal teams and gathered the opinions of over 1200 staff, physicians, learners and volunteers in a Mobile Lightbox survey. Externally, the hospital went beyond its walls to seven local festivals where it gathered the feedback from 1300 community members, including 10,000 data points and 150 audio recordings of patient experiences.

“I really felt like the feedback I provided was really listened to and incorporated,” says Bernice King, Patient and Family Advisory and strategic plan committee member. “Co-designing with patients, their families, staff and community in this way is how all strategic plans should be done in the future.”

Hélène Hamilton, Chair, Patient and Family Advisory Council in the Family Resource Centre at West 5th Campus. The Family Resource Centre offers tailored information to help family and friends supporting loved ones struggling with mental illness or addiction issues.

St. Joe’s new strategic plan was built on the foundation of its mission, vision and values, and the legacy of its courageous founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton. Goals and outcomes will be assessed along the way and updates will be shared regularly.

To read the full plan, visit stjoes.ca/strategicplan. Click here to watch a video overview of the plan.