Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays or just catching some much needed relaxation! As we enter a new year, a new decade, it is our sincerest wish that all of you - our patients, our people, and our community supporters - are blessed with good health, positivity, and love.

E-Connect is back for 2020 once again sharing some feel-good stories about the happenings of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. Today, read about an important donation for future patients, an exciting opportunity for the son of one of Our People, a significant investment for hospital infrastructure, and a change to a valuable department.

All the best,

Maciah

What goes around, comes around. That’s the motto John Hackson and his wife Carrol live by, a testament to their humble and grateful characters.

The Hackson’s shared their generosity and appreciation for the great care John received as an inpatient on Rehab 1 South (RH1) as they made a significant donation to the team this December.

It was nearly a year ago that John slipped in a parking lot, shattering his hip. After surgery and time spent at Windsor Regional Hospital, Met campus, John was transferred to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s inpatient rehabilitation unit to continue to strengthen and restore his mobility for the next three and a half weeks.

John described his experience and the team on RH1 as excellent, hard working, professional, and friendly. From his healthcare team, to the food he was provided, and the appearance of facility itself, John couldn’t be happier.

Upon discharge, John’s giving nature took over, knowing that he wanted to make a difference.

Keeping up with the news, John and Carrol know that there are some shortfalls when it comes to government funding for healthcare services and so he recognizes the need for more philanthropic individuals to fill in the gaps. The Hacksons are proud to be two of those individuals.

“As a society, we think too much about ourselves and not enough about our fellow man,” John explains as he talks about why him and Carrol have been making donations such as the one to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare throughout the past two decades. “We all have our own talents, perhaps ours is to help others.”

John went on to say how we wanted to ensure his donation stayed with the team on RH1 to support future patients going through the program and so the staff have the necessary tools they need to provide high-quality care.

“When you support great institutions, you’re helping many people.”

There is no doubt the Hacksons are special people embodying the true meaning and purpose of being a human, reminding us all that if we are willing to help others, it will come back around to us in one way or another.

Thank you John and Carrol for your tremendous gift.

Most of the time, parenting is fun. You know you are doing a good job. But there are times when things get a little tricky. Like when your toddler won't eat her dinner. Or your relationship with your teen is under strain as your 13-year-old son grunts instead of speaking to you.

Everyone needs some help sometimes. Triple P, Positive Parenting Program is here for you with upcoming Winter 2020 Courses .

There is no doubt that we have phenomenal people working at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. Of course these phenomenal people are bound to have other outstanding people in their lives, including their children. One of those is Dr. Andrea Steen, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Chief of Staff, and her son, Jordan, a.ka. Jordie.

In high school, Jordie was always an athletic individual playing hockey and other sports. Eventually, his passion brought him to wrestling in his senior year. His solid build and innate talent quickly made him become one of the best.

Fast forward to the beginning of December 2019, weighing in at a strong 97 kilograms, 28 year-old Jordie took to the mats at the Canadian Olympic Trials, with proud (and nervous) parents watching from the stands.

After taking on five impressive competitors in a round-robin style competition, Jordie emerged victorious, bringing home the 1 ^st place spot in all of Canada for his weight class.

With his sights set on Tokyo 2020, there is no time for rest for Jordie as he prepares for the Pan American Games in March where the best of the best from countries throughout North and South America compete for their Olympic ticket.

The competition is fierce at the Pan Am games, with limited spots available. Though Jordie must finish in the top two in his weight class in order to advance to the Olympic Games, we know he will be feeling the support and hearing the cheers from his family, his community, and Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

Good luck Jordie!

You can view the current Canadian Olympic Wrestling Trial standings by visiting wrestling.ca

Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is extremely grateful to the Ontario Government  and Rick Nicholls, Member of Provincial Parliament for Chatham-Kent-Leamington, who announced significant investments in Windsor hospitals last week. As part of the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund, over $3.1 million was invested in Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Windsor Regional Hospital, and Erie Shores HealthCare for important infrastructure upgrades and repairs. Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare received $931,468.

“The ongoing support and financial commitment from our Provincial Government in providing high quality and safe facilities in which to provide the care we do is welcome, appreciated and much needed," said President and CEO Janice Kaffer.

Following last week's investment announcement, we were pleased to welcome Rick Nicholls to our campus to tour the programs and services we offer and engage in meaningful conversation with a few community partners about how we are changing lives together.

It's now not uncommon to see the men and women that make up Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare's (HDGH) Security Team wearing the hospital logo on their protective vest. At a media event this morning, hospital leadership and partners officially welcomed the more than 30 men and women as staff members, no longer contracting out these services. 

"Safety is not just a word at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare it is a culture, commitment and expectation," said Bill Marra, HDGH's VP of External Affairs which includes responsibility for the Security portfolio. "Recruiting, training, retaining and evaluating our HDGH Security Team allows us to develop value-based security leaders and a shared sense of purpose and empowerment."

 

The decision meant a $600,000 one-time capital investment to renovate a 2,500 square foot Security Operations Centre fixed with an eight monitor, three workstations and 14 computer command centre, training space, meeting room, equipment and Personal Alarms System. Operationally this move meant an increase of $400,000 to $1.8 million operating budget.

 

"Our HDGH Guards see and monitor a lot on our west-end campus- individuals facing end-of- life, mental health and addictions issues, child and youth mental health, behavioural concerns and those with stressors from physical trauma," said Pat Keane, HDGH's Manager of Security. "We aren't just building a team, but building a program, a culture, a new way of safety and security."

 

As only one of a handful of hospitals in the province to complete this progressive transition, it not only results in hiring and retaining high quality individuals, but also allows for specialized program-specific training for the unique complexities of our programs and services, as well as physical size of main and offsite HDGH campuses.

Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Vicki McKenna, RN commended HDGH for this step forward in its leadership work in healthcare safety recognizing its relationship with patient-care and prevention of violence.

 

"I am delighted to celebrate the decision of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare to bring security in-house," said McKenna. "As a long-time advocate for improved safety and security of our nurses - and their patients - I am pleased that this is one facility that did not need to be convinced, but has taken proactive action. ONA commends them for their decision and hopes to see all health-care facilities be so proactive, so that all health-care workers and their patients will be safe."

 

HDGH's Security Personnel are trained in control and defense tactics, non-violent crisis intervention, effective communications, Criminal Code applications, first aid and CPR, emergency management and have completed a comprehensive on-site training program that includes the hospital's mission, vision and values as well as the organizational structure.

The team's mission statement commits to conscientious professionalism, compassion and fairness in all interactions with the community where safety and security are a result of clear communication.

Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare continues to push towards becoming the safest hospital in the province with this change a huge stride toward that goal. Additionally, earlier this year, the hospital received the HSO Award for Leading Practice for work done on Workplace Violence.