Icc Archives – St. Joseph's Health System

The Centre for Integrated Care is an innovation centre committed to evidence-based research, education and evaluation to support the advancement of Integrated Care across Canada.

St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS) is an internationally recognized leader in the development and implementation of new Models of Integrated Care. Our perspective is founded in our health system’s service delivery capabilities across the complete continuum of care; coupled with our commitment to academic research and discovery. Our extensive experience in the adoption of Models of Integrated Care provides a unique vantage point from which to share our learnings and partner to further the field of Integrated Care.

The SJHS Centre for Integrated Care is a ‘practical hands-on’ resource for our System members and strategic partners to help drive the development, adoption and evaluation of models of Integrated Care; with additional research, educational, advisory, quality improvement, performance management and partnership activity.

A Living Lab - Canada's Largest Integrated Care Program

Today, with over 17,000 patients served, and over 30,000 Hospital bed days saved, St. Joseph’s has established a proven track record of effectively implementing new Models of Integrated Care at scale, coaching multiple organizations, serving diverse clinical populations, driving value for health care dollars, and improving outcomes for patients. Actively developing, implementing and operationalizing Integrated Care programs to serve Surgical, Chronic & Complex Disease Management, Mental Health & Addictions, and Older Adult populations; St. Joseph’s and Niagara Health are Canada’s largest and most mature living lab for Models of Integrated Care.

Research & Evaluation

Discovery is at the heart of all we do. We seek to revolutionize research, innovation and the adoption of evidence-based Models of Integrated Care through:

The practical application of population health management, actionable intelligence / analytics, and clinical decision support tools. We positively impact priority outcomes and how care is delivered across the continuum of care.
By evaluating the clinical, economic and social impact of new models of Integrated Care, evidence-based pathways & advanced technologies, through the lens of the Quadruple Aim.

Our independent research team is affiliated with the Research Institute at St Joe’s Hamilton, and McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Knowledge Exchange

The Centre of Integrated care is committed to enabling sustainable transformational system change through the development and adoption of models of Integrated Care. Our experienced advisory and coaching services team collaborates with our System members and partner with numerous healthcare providers to support their Integrated Care journey. Ongoing guidance is provided through our Community of Practice, educational resources, events, thought leadership, and collaborative publications.

Quality Improvement & Performance Management

The Centre for Integrated Care adheres to evidence-based principles of quality improvement and performance management. We collaborate within our living lab and partner organizations to

Develop standard policy and process for Integrated Funding management.
Co-design methodology to support Care Path development and Integrated Service Delivery.
Creation of resources, tools and common indicators for quality improvement.

We have developed an Integrated Care Maturity Model to help organizations assess and further their Integrated Care journey.

The Centre for Integrated Care is committed to partnerships with patients, caregivers, providers, funders, and academic organizations to achieve our objectives and to enable the advancement of Integrated Care across Canada.

Click here to access the Center for Integrated Care website.

“TeamUHN is partnering with the St. Joseph’s Health System’s Centre for Integrated Care to bring our collective expertise and experience together… We’re already seeing how focusing on the comprehensive care experience can lead to successful and sustainable care improvements to support diverse patient populations.”

Dr. Kevin Smith, President & CEO, University Health Network

Founded in the healing mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS) was established in 1991 to meet the challenges of the changing environment for the delivery of health and social services, and takes pride in a system-wide commitment to caring for the whole person: body, mind and spirit.

Regardless of faith or culture, the one characteristic our people share is a deep belief in the values our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton instilled in our organization: that it is an honour to serve – and in particular to ensure that those most vulnerable and marginalized have access to compassionate, high quality care.

The first Sisters arrived in Hamilton in 1852 and began to work for the poor and needy residents of this growing and important trade centre. For the Sisters, it was an honour to serve others, and, with the onset of a cholera epidemic, the Sisters health care mission began in earnest. Working in railway sheds near the Hamilton harbour, they risked their lives to care for the sick and dying victims of the deadly disease.

Today, we are one of the largest corporations in Canada devoted to health care. Our member organizations are known for genuine compassion and caring, both locally and around the world. Each of the organizations offer services according to their strengths, from acute care, long-term care, and community care, to rehabilitation, hospice, community outreach, and mental health. SJHS is also a well-recognized leader for innovation in models of patient centred integrated care at each stage of the patient experience.

Wide Sleeves

The Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada 1851-1951 by (author) Veronica O’Reilly with Joan Driscoll
Publisher Novalis | Initial publish date Sep 2023

This sweeping history explores the first hundred years (1851 to 1951) of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada.

In 1851, a young Frenchwoman, Antoinette Fontbonne (Sister Mary Delphine) – a pioneer in founding transatlantic missions in Philadelphia and Missouri for France’s Lyon Sisters of St. Joseph – agreed to begin a third foundation in Toronto. The need was great: many children of Irish famine refugees there had been abandoned and were homeless. That October, Fontbonne and three Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Canada West. By the mid-20th century, the legacy of these four Sisters included a combined membership of three thousand women, supporting an impressive network of schools, hospitals and social work institutions.

Wide Sleeves is a rich historical panorama documenting the process by which the Sisters of St. Joseph separated into six congregations through their own mission outreach and through bishops who needed their help in various dioceses. The book’s main purpose, however, is the story of the Sisters’ mission efforts among Canadians in the first one hundred years – efforts to educate, to heal the sick and to care for those who were physically and spiritually in need. Their particular charismatic journey is the single factor distinguishing the Sisters of St. Joseph from the thousands of other women religious in Canada serving the same charitable purposes with zeal and generosity. Over the decades, their work in health care, education and offering shelter to those in need across Canada touched countless lives and demonstrated in tangible ways the Sisters’ love for Jesus and their ability to see him in those they served.