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
Research & Evaluation
Knowledge Exchange
Quality Improvement & Performance Management
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.
SJHS Strategic Plan 2023: Care Redefined. Teams Reimagined.
SJHS’ refreshed strategic plan sets out a bold vision that builds upon our strengths.
Our core principle is to honour the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s, while positioning
SJHS to navigate, and thrive, in an increasingly dynamic healthcare landscape.
These new strategic directions are grounded in our legacy of mission-based care through compassionate care, faith and discovery.
By leveraging our far-reaching footprint and unique structure we will re-imagine how care is delivered, and find new and innovative ways to support our teams.
Together, we will lead the future of integrated care:
- Advance Health Beyond Boundaries
- Amplify our Collective Impact
- Invest in the Teams of Today and Tomorrow