EXCELERATOR

Issue 68,  August 2024

“I have never met such wonderful people in my whole life”
North Clinic providing high quality care in the community at new location

Pamela Contini is a patient at the North Clinic in the Toronto Central area, a small nursing clinic run by Ontario Health atHome (formerly Home and Community Care Support Services) with nursing services provided by VHA Home HealthCare (VHA).

Pamela has been receiving care at the North Clinic since April 2024. She was referred to the clinic after a visit to a hospital emergency department for a leg infection. A former nurse, Pamela initially tried to care for the wound herself, but found she needed additional support. “The nurses at the North Clinic have had a big impact on my healing journey,” Pamela said.

Pamela recently joined Ontario Health atHome and VHA at the new clinic location at 30 Soudan Avenue, in the Yonge and Eglinton area in Toronto’s north end, to celebrate the opening of the new clinic space. 

The new North Clinic was purpose built with patients like Pamela in mind to provide care, education and coaching for wound care, intravenous therapy, catheter, diabetes, ostomy care and many other services. As a retired nurse, Pamela knows what it means to provide patient-centred care. Through the new North Clinic she’s discovered firsthand what that means in a clinic setting. “The old clinic was fine,” says Pamela, “but this new one is home.”

New Partnership with Holland Bloorview Provides Relief for Families of Children with Extensive Health and Social Needs

For children and families living with complex neurodevelopmental conditions along with mental health, intellectual or physical disabilities, frequent emergency room visits, repeated acute care admissions and restricted participation in school and family life, are just some of the challenges they often face. 

The Extensive Needs Service (ENS) has recently been launched to support this population, connecting children with urgent and complex needs and their families with individualized care and support–closer to home. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, one of the leaders of the program, partnered with VHA to deliver in-home relief services for children and families in the program.

“When we imagined what a wrap-around model of care would look like–not just for our clients but for their families and caregivers as well–we knew that access to high quality, specialized respite would be an essential component. Given VHA’s long history of providing compassionate and high-quality in-home care, they were a natural fit for this program,” says Kathryn Decker, Senior Director of Extensive Needs Service and Inclusion Programs at Holland Bloorview.

VHA PSWs Help Make Pride Toronto an Inclusive and Accessible Event for All

The Pride Toronto Festival Weekend is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity, beauty and progress of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. As the biggest pride event in North America, Pride Toronto is also a chance to acknowledge the ongoing challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and to serve as a reminder of the work ahead.

At the heart of Pride celebrations is the idea of inclusivity and accessibility, but any celebration of this scale can pose significant barriers for people living with disabilities. Pride Toronto has been committed to making this event as accessible as possible and has created partnerships with community organizations to support their mission.

Accessibility services include Personal Support Workers (PSWs) to assist guests and participants, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, free mobility device rentals, designated accessibility viewing areas and quiet spaces to escape over-stimulation. Many of these inclusive measures are made possible by volunteer and community support.  “We are pleased and proud that once again, VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) was asked by Pride Toronto to help make the Pride Toronto Festival accessible with the support of VHA PSWs,” said Adam Benn, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Celebrating 20 Years of Champlain Rehab Solutions in Ottawa

Champlain Rehab Solutions celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2024, marking two decades of dedicated service to the Ottawa community. VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) operates as Champlain Rehab Solutions (CRS) in the Greater Ottawa area, and the CRS team providing much-needed rehabilitation services to individuals across this region. Established in 2004, CRS has grown and evolved, consistently delivering high-quality care and support thanks to the commitment and hard work of the entire team. To mark this 20- year milestone, a few team members who have been with CRS from the beginning shared their reflections with us.

Heather Provick, Rehab Coordinator at CRS, recalls the early days and various changes since then. “We became part of VHA when VHA acquired COTA Health’s rehab services, so for some of us, we have worked with COTA and COTA Health, VHA Rehab Solutions and now Champlain Rehab Solutions.”

Heather highlights the evolution of technology and processes over the years. “We used to receive all referrals and updates by fax…and some providers had pagers instead of cell phones. There have been a lot of technology updates and improvements since then. Through all the changes, the core mission of CRS has remained the same: providing the best service and support possible to clients and families to help them achieve greater independence.”

Self-Care for Overall Health and Well-Being

Self-care involves everything you do to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health. This can be getting enough sleep and trips to the spa, but it can also be setting boundaries, focusing on your priorities and finding more time for the things that bring you joy.

What can be considered ‘self-care’ is different for every person, but it involves recognizing and meeting your own needs to preserve or improve your overall health and well-being. And we know that when you take care of yourself, you will actually be in a better position to take care of your family, friends and community.

VHA In the News

• Canadian Healthcare Technology: VHA Home HealthCare deploys smartphone management
• Toronto Star: How one woman reclaimed her space and peace of mind by decluttering