Last year I reflected that we were in a time of unprecedented and dynamic health-care system change at the provincial, regional and local level. This reality continues today. Thanks to the foresight, commitment and diligent efforts of our staff, physicians and leadership, we have made significant progress in ensuring London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) continues to deliver the highest quality of care as a recognized leader in health care, innovation and transformation across Canada.
The hospital’s Board of Directors, with support from its working committees, has collaborated closely with our President and CEO, Murray Glendining and senior leadership in supporting LHSC’s Transitional Plan, which will ensure sustainable, consistent, and high quality patient care and experiences.
We now look to the future in further defining the organization’s strategic direction including a focus on our mission, vision and values. To ensure a fully informed outcome, a broad range of stakeholders is being engaged as part of this process, and we look forward to developing a plan that will not only be inspirational, but reflective of the organization we want to be in the future.
In April, Murray advised the Board of his intention to retire at the end of his contract on March 31, 2018. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Murray for his leadership at LHSC over the past five years. Murray has navigated LHSC through uncertainty and change. His commitment to partnership and support of system transformation has positioned London Health Sciences Centre to embrace the future.
The Board has now commenced a rigorous CEO recruitment process to ensure we select the most appropriate successor to Murray – one who can build on the work already started and fulfill LHSC’s potential as a world class health-care institution.
As my Board Chair tenure ends in June of this year, I look forward to having Ramona Robinson succeed me as the new Chair and know that she will bring the highest level of commitment and passion to the role. In closing, it has been my privilege to work alongside the people of LHSC who are making a positive difference to our patients and community, including our partners at Children’s Health Foundation, London Health Sciences Foundation, and Lawson Health Research Institute.
As health-care transformation continues to move forward, bringing with it a shift toward more integrated service delivery, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) remains committed to providing the safe, high quality and compassionate care that our patients deserve. We are also committed to leading the way, as one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals, in establishing innovative and enduring partnerships to build a sustainable health care system within our region.
In 2016/17, LHSC continued to lay the foundational elements required to support health care transformation. Specifically, we advanced toward many of the objectives in our two-year Transitional Plan, which was created to help us deliver a focused, relentless and standardized approach to improving the quality, safety and consistency of care and the patient experience across our organization. Progress to date can be seen in the strategic priorities outlined in this report, and this work will carry on in earnest over the next year.
We also pursued integrated care delivery models such as the recently completed pilot project focused on improving outcomes for patients who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Through enhanced coordination of care across the continuum, this integrated care pathway has led to improved quality of care and patients are experiencing significant decreases in three key indicators: hospital length of stays; Emergency Department visits; and, readmission rates. This success results from the excellent collaborative efforts of many system partners.
Integrated approaches are also central to developing solutions to one of the key challenges in our city, as the number of people seeking mental health care supports continues to outstrip capacity to provide timely care for these patients. While we continue to implement new approaches to improve access and care in our inpatient settings for mental health patients, we are also working closely with St. Joseph’s Health Care London, the Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and many other partners to develop new approaches that help ensure patients receive care and support – when they need it most and in the most appropriate setting.
Other clinical areas also continue to see increasing patient volumes and this creates added financial pressure in an environment of constrained hospital funding. We remain vigilant in finding efficiencies that maintain or enhance quality while enabling us to meet growing community health care needs. While we ended the year with a small surplus which will support important capital equipment needs, we anticipate that funding in 2017/18 will not offset the costs of inflation and other strategic priorities. As a result, we need to achieve savings of some $28 million. We have identified several plans to achieve this and our focus remains on reducing costs while improving quality through efficiencies, standardized practices and evaluating new service delivery models.
As we look to the future as a care, teaching and research centre, I am pleased to announce that LHSC has launched a process to renew our mission, vision, values and strategic direction. Central to this will be the involvement of patients, staff and physicians, as well as key system and community partners, to help inform the creation of a comprehensive strategic plan to guide us in the dynamic years ahead.
On a personal note, 2017/18 will be my final year as President and CEO of LHSC, after which I look forward to retirement following almost 30 years in health care. I am grateful for the time I have spent at LHSC, and for the dedication of the board, staff, physicians and volunteers who have all contributed to ensuring that our hospital remains a leader in the province, the country and the world. I am confident that LHSC is well positioned to adapt to any system changes that may lie ahead, and that the patients we serve will continue to receive the same world-class care they have come to expect from our hospital.
I am pleased to provide an update on the work being done by the Medical Advisory Committee. The MAC is the primary liaison between medical practitioners and the Board of Directors at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) as required by the Public Hospitals Act. We credential the professional staff (physicians, dentists, midwives and fellows) with privileges at the hospital and provide oversight of the quality of care and patient safety provided at the hospital. Through its subcommittees, the MAC monitors standards of patient clinical care at LHSC.
Over the past year, the MAC has participated in a number of quality initiatives aimed at ensuring LHSC is providing the safest care possible for patients. Of particular note, the committee focused on initiatives regarding lab testing, ensuring LHSC lab processes reflect the best practices in utilization.
The coming year will be a busy one as we focus on three areas important to the organization: achieving accreditation, strategic planning, and the introduction of a balanced scorecard for physicians.
Accreditation is a voluntary process undertaken by health care organizations with the goal of improving patient outcomes and health system performance. It is designed with a focus on patient safety and quality of care, with a number of required organizational practices. The physician role in transforming health care delivery is vital to the accreditation process as physicians, along with all other health professionals, are on the front line of ensuring that patient quality of care and experience remains at the forefront. In fact, the Royal College Accreditation Standards state that “Participating sites eligible for accreditation by Accreditation Canada must be so accredited”.
MAC has been asked to provide leadership and support as the hospital enters into a strategic planning process to renew its mission, vision, values and direction moving forward. This process will provide a roadmap for LHSC for years to come, and we are pleased to provide a physician perspective to the planning and implementation.
Finally, we will be participating in the introduction of a balanced scorecard for physicians which will encompass some of the selected LHSC corporate quality indicators. This will enhance and highlight the significant contributions of physicians in patient care.
With rapid health care transformation continuing into the foreseeable future, the unsurpassed high rate of physician response to the Our People Survey speaks to the level of participation and commitment of all our professional staff towards providing the best possible patient care.
I look forward to working with the Medical Advisory Committee in the coming year, as we ensure that high quality care for our patients remains a trademark of London Health Sciences Centre.
In 2016/17, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) focused on four strategic priorities and implemented a two-year Transitional Plan to accelerate progress toward achieving these objectives. The Transitional Plan provides a roadmap to ensure delivery of a focused, relentless and standardized approach to improving the quality, safety, consistency of care, and the patient experience across LHSC.
In 2016/17, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) focused on four strategic priorities and implemented a two-year Transitional Plan to accelerate progress toward achieving these objectives. The Transitional Plan provides a roadmap to ensure delivery of a focused, relentless and standardized approach to improving the quality, safety, consistency of care, and the patient experience across LHSC.
LHSC aims to provide timely access to care for all patients. Several quality improvement processes focused on improving patient access have now become standard operating practice. For example, LHSC realized a significant reduction in the number of patients who no longer require acute hospital care and are awaiting placements in long-term care facilities through assessment and planning across multiple hospital departments, as well as close collaboration with system partners.
In addition, there has been improvement in patient flow, meaning patients in the Emergency Department (ED) who require admission to a hospital bed do not have to wait as long. In fact, the length of stay of ED patients awaiting admission was reduced substantially with LHSC showing the greatest improvement on this measure in the province.
This past year, LHSC remained focused on meeting the health care needs of a growing and aging population despite a challenging fiscal environment. Standardized processes are in development to optimize the use of high cost resources including medications, lab testing and diagnostics. LHSC's electronic health record implementation also continues, resulting in significant improvements in the quality of care and an improved clinician experience.
In 2016/17, LHSC continued its efforts to strengthen the voice of patients and families to improve the patient experience and ensure LHSC delivers patient and family-centred care. LHSC is supported in this work by over 150 patient and family advisors who volunteer their time and perspectives to help inform decision-making across the hospital including care delivery and strategic planning.
LHSC has implemented a standardized approach to quality improvement; enhanced operational communications and engagement; and strengthened operational management planning and quarterly performance monitoring processes. This work is designed to accelerate achievement of our Transitional Plan objectives and position LHSC for success in a rapidly changing health system. LHSC has also adopted a much stronger partnership model with physicians in organizational planning and decision-making, leading to enhanced alignment and innovative changes to care delivery that will improve patient outcomes and experiences.
LHSC continued to play a leading regional role in advancing access to electronic health records through the province’s Connecting South West Ontario (cSWO) Program, part of the Ministry of Health’s digital health strategy. Through new systems, care providers can immediately access the online patient information, like prescriptions, medical records and test results at any point of care in the system.
An innovative pilot project was undertaken for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in partnership with South West Community Care Access Centre, St. Joseph’s Health Care London and other community partners. Through a new approach to care supported by all partners involved, patient outcomes and experience are substantially improved and overall resource utilization is more effective and efficient. This successful model will soon be expanded to help patients with other complex diseases.
LHSC is also leading the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Medical Imaging Integrated Care project to create a new model of regional collaboration for hospital-based medical imaging services. The primary goal is to reduce wait times and improve access for Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computer Tomography (CT) by creating regional standardization of processes and protocols.
LHSC is committed to prudent stewardship of funding dollars and transparent management practices. As our financial results show, we ended the 2016/17 fiscal year in a positive position, despite ongoing funding pressures. We continue to invest in areas key to ensuring patients receive the exceptional care they expect and deserve, and this remains our priority moving forward into the next fiscal year.
LHSC is committed to prudent stewardship of funding dollars and transparent management practices. As our financial results show, we ended the 2016/17 fiscal year in a positive position, despite ongoing funding pressures. We continue to invest in areas key to ensuring patients receive the exceptional care they expect and deserve, and this remains our priority moving forward into the next fiscal year.
I am pleased to report on the financial results of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
London Health Sciences Centre, like most hospitals in Ontario, faced another challenging year with the fifth straight year of an overall base funding reduction. However, the hospital did well ending the year with a very small operating surplus of approximately $3.0 million or less than a day’s worth of operating expenses.
This excellence in financial stewardship has allowed the hospital to build a strong balance sheet and invest in key areas of clinical renewal, infrastructure and information technology. Financial flexibility and liquidity will serve the hospital well in the future. Management has taken prudent steps to create an environment that is adaptable, resilient and able to rapidly respond to changing patient demands, health policy directives and evolving regional health systems.
During the year, the hospital witnessed increased patient volumes specifically in the areas of Mental Health and Surgery. Key resourcing investments from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Local Health Integration Network mitigated these pressures to a certain extent but clinical volume pressures remain challenging and strategies are being implemented to improve performance, reduce unit costs and maintain quality. LHSC will continue to provide a leadership role as we work with system partners to improve health outcomes and enhance the patient experience.
I would like to sincerely thank the volunteer members of the Finance and Audit Committee for their dedication to our committee, our patients and our hospital during the past year. On behalf of the Finance and Audit Committee, I would like to thank our staff, physicians and management for their commitment to ensuring we place our patients first.
To the Board of Directors of London Health Sciences Centre
The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of financial position as at March 31, 2017, and the summary statements of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, and related basis of presentation note, are derived from the audited financial statements of London Health Sciences Centre for the year ended March 31, 2017. We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on those financial statements in our auditors’ report dated May 31, 2017.
The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by Canadian public sector accounting standards. Reading the summary financial statements, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial statements of London Health Sciences Centre.
Management is responsible for the preparation of a summary of the audited financial statements on the basis described in the basis of presentation note.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the summary financial statements based on our procedures, which were conducted in accordance with Canadian Auditing Standard 810, “Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements.”
In our opinion, the summary financial statements derived from the audited financial statements of London Health Sciences Centre for the year ended March 31, 2017 are a fair summary of those financial statements on the basis described in the basis of presentation note.
London, Canada
May 31, 2017
(signed) Ernst & Young LLP
Chartered Professional Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) continued its strong financial performance during the past fiscal year. Liquidity remained above minimum thresholds despite a challenging funding environment. LHSC’s current ratio of 2.25 is the result of 11 consecutive surpluses and reflects a deliberate financial strategy of financial sustainability, flexibility and cost containment. Current and long-term obligations under various debt agreements are adequately covered and supported by sound business plans and cash flows.
LHSC ended the year with a surplus of $3 million. This position is the result of a combination of unanticipated mid-year funding from the MOHLTC/LHIN and necessary cost mitigation strategies to address inflationary pressures that were greater than total funding. This is the fifth straight year that revenues have not kept pace with inflationary costs on labour, medical/surgical costs, drugs and other supplies. In addition, patient demands, specifically in our Surgical and Mental Health portfolios, created unbudgeted cost pressures that had an impact on our bottom line.
LHSC invested $32.6 million in clinical capital, building service equipment, information systems and buildings during the year. In addition, LHSC spent $10.8 million in externally funded or recoverable capital projects.
Capital spending is financed through a combination of operations and deferred contributions from both levels of government, the London Health Sciences Foundation and Children’s Health Foundation.
Current assets include cash and cash equivalents of $220.6 million, consisting of restricted cash and portfolio investments of $14.1 million in order to discharge certain future obligations and $206.5 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents.
The information contained in the summary financial statements is in agreement with the related information in the complete audited financial statements. The summary financial statements contain major subtotals and totals from the complete audited financial statements. The complete audited financial statements can be obtained on the LHSC website.
| As at | March 31, 2017 | March 31, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (000's) | (000's) | |||
| ASSETS | ||||
| Current assets | $ | 291,362 | $ | 274,463 |
| Restricted cash and investments | $ | 14,434 | $ | 15,166 |
| Capital assets | $ | 934,910 | $ | 951,431 |
| $ | 1,240,706 | $ | 1,241,060 | |
| LIABILITIES, DEFERRED CONTRIBUTIONS, UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS AND REMEASUREMENT LOSSES | ||||
| Current liabilities | $ | 129,537 | $ | 128,948 |
| Long-term liabilities and deferred contributions | $ | 800,308 | $ | 808,840 |
| Unrestricted net assets | $ | 327,134 | $ | 324,173 |
| Accumulated remeasurement losses | $ | (16,273) | $ | (20,901) |
| $ | 1,240,706 | $ | 1,241,060 | |
| Year ended | March 31, 2017 | March 31, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (000's) | (000's) | |||
| REVENUE | ||||
| Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and South West Local Health Integration Network | $ | 980,022 | $ | 963,452 |
| Other | $ | 203,356 | $ | 224,289 |
| $ | 1,183,378 | $ | 1,187,741 | |
| EXPENSES | ||||
| Salaries and benefits | $ | 775,306 | $ | 771,805 |
| Other | $ | 405,111 | $ | 413,297 |
| $ | 1,180,417 | $ | 1,185,102 | |
| EXCESS OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES | $ | 2,961 | $ | 2,639 |
| Year ended | March 31, 2017 | March 31, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (000's) | (000's) | |||
| CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN): | ||||
| Operating Activities | $ | 63,140 | $ | 22,310 |
| Financing Activities | $ | 17,659 | $ | 3,144 |
| Investing Activities | $ | 1,222 | $ | 4,893 |
| Capital Activities | $ | (43,351) | $ | (43,033) |
| Net increase (decrease) in cash | $ | 38,670 | $ | (12,686) |
| Cash, beginning of year | $ | 167,804 | $ | 180,490 |
| Cash, end of year | $ | 206,474 | $ | 167,804 |
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals. Located in London, Ontario, Canada, LHSC is a multi-site facility that encompasses University Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Children’s Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, Byron and Victoria Family Medical Centres, 54 Riverview Avenue site, and is the home of Lawson Health Research Institute and Children’s Health Research Institute, CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics), as well as Children’s Health Foundation and London Health Sciences Foundation.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals. Located in London, Ontario, Canada, LHSC is a multi-site facility that encompasses University Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Children’s Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, Byron and Victoria Family Medical Centres, 54 Riverview Avenue site, and is the home of Lawson Health Research Institute and Children’s Health Research Institute, CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics), as well as Children’s Health Foundation and London Health Sciences Foundation.
 |
163,369 Emergency Visits |
 |
52,447 Admissions |
 |
787,709 Ambulatory visits |
 |
36 Bassinets |
 |
350,514 Patient days |
 |
6.4 days Average length of stay |
 |
9,860 Operating Room Day Surgery |
 |
414 University Hospital Beds |
 |
15,971 Operating Room Endoscopy |
 |
542 Victoria Hospital Beds |
 |
17,523 Operating Room Inpatient |
 |
107 Children's Hospital Beds |
| Statistics based upon data for the period April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 | |||
| Physicians, dentists & midwives | 933 |
| Nurses | 3,588 |
| Allied health | 588 |
| Residents, fellows & visiting electives | 1,185 |
| Medicals students* | 595 |
| Research personnel | 910 |
| Technicians & technologists | 918 |
| Administrative & corporate professional (note: includes clerical, admin & non-union professional) |
1,982 |
| Service | 1,265 |
| Management | 295 |
| Volunteers | 900 |
| Non-medical students | 714 |
| Nursing students | 1,150 |
| *Senior medical students (3rd and 4th year) who receive training at LHSC throughout the year | |
Building on our proud legacy of care and innovation, this past year, LHSC celebrated a number of medical firsts and milestone achievements, and also realized important outcomes through dynamic partnerships. Through these achievements, LHSC helped to improve patient care and patient/family experience, and strengthen system capacity to better support the population health care needs.
Canadian Cardiac First LHSC’s Cardiac Care team became the first in Canada to perform a new surgical technique, the transcaval TAVI approach, to treat patients whose arterial vessels are inaccessible due to calcified and narrowed arteries. The goal of the procedure is to restore normal blood flow through the heart and the rest of the body.
Adult Eating Disorder Service Opens LHSC’s Adult Eating Disorders Service completed the move into its new home at 54 Riverview Avenue in London. The new facility allows patients of the program to receive their treatment under one roof, and has increased the capacity of the residential treatment program, for those requiring intensive support, from four beds to eight.
75 Years of Cancer Care The London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP) celebrated its 75th anniversary. Throughout its history of innovative care, the LRCP has treated more than 15,000 patients across Southwestern Ontario and continues to lead the way in the advancement of technologies and treatments to better serve our patients.
Supporting Transition Age Mental Health Cornerstone Counselling, a pilot project aimed at improving the system of mental health and addictions care for transition age youth (16-25 years) was recently launched. Cornerstone Counselling is delivered in partnership with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex, Addiction Services of Thames Valley and mindyourmind. This self-referral program provides access to a team of health professionals for youth transitioning out of the adolescent mental health program, or who are seeking support for the first time.
Pacemaker Progress LHSC's Cardiac Care Program was the first in Ontario to implant a leadless pacemaker which is a tiny pacemaker without cardiac wires known as leads. Dr. Jaimie Manlucu, heart rhythm cardiologist, successfully implanted the Medtronic Micra™ Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) in February using a minimally invasive technique.
LHSC Goes Smoke-Free LHSC is committed to providing a safe, healthy environment for those who receive care, work in or visit our facilities. As health-care providers and promoters of health and wellbeing, we believe in providing a smoke-free environment for our patients. As of June 2016, LHSC became a smoke-free facility, including all buildings, grounds, parking lots, and smoking in cars.
Building on our proud legacy of care and innovation, this past year, LHSC celebrated a number of medical firsts and milestone achievements, and also realized important outcomes through dynamic partnerships. Through these achievements, LHSC helped to improve patient care and patient/family experience, and strengthen system capacity to better support the population health care needs.
Canadian Cardiac First LHSC’s Cardiac Care team became the first in Canada to perform a new surgical technique, the transcaval TAVI approach, to treat patients whose arterial vessels are inaccessible due to calcified and narrowed arteries. The goal of the procedure is to restore normal blood flow through the heart and the rest of the body.
Adult Eating Disorder Service Opens LHSC’s Adult Eating Disorders Service completed the move into its new home at 54 Riverview Avenue in London. The new facility allows patients of the program to receive their treatment under one roof, and has increased the capacity of the residential treatment program, for those requiring intensive support, from four beds to eight.
75 Years of Cancer Care The London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP) celebrated its 75th anniversary. Throughout its history of innovative care, the LRCP has treated more than 15,000 patients across Southwestern Ontario and continues to lead the way in the advancement of technologies and treatments to better serve our patients.
Supporting Transition Age Mental Health Cornerstone Counselling, a pilot project aimed at improving the system of mental health and addictions care for transition age youth (16-25 years) was recently launched. Cornerstone Counselling is delivered in partnership with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex, Addiction Services of Thames Valley and mindyourmind. This self-referral program provides access to a team of health professionals for youth transitioning out of the adolescent mental health program, or who are seeking support for the first time.
Pacemaker Progress LHSC's Cardiac Care Program was the first in Ontario to implant a leadless pacemaker which is a tiny pacemaker without cardiac wires known as leads. Dr. Jaimie Manlucu, heart rhythm cardiologist, successfully implanted the Medtronic Micra™ Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) in February using a minimally invasive technique.
LHSC Goes Smoke-Free LHSC is committed to providing a safe, healthy environment for those who receive care, work in or visit our facilities. As health-care providers and promoters of health and wellbeing, we believe in providing a smoke-free environment for our patients. As of June 2016, LHSC became a smoke-free facility, including all buildings, grounds, parking lots, and smoking in cars.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) depends on the support of its foundation and research partners, whose dedication allows our staff and physicians to continue providing our patients and their families with high-quality, compassionate and innovative care.
Dr. Douglas Fraser
Dr. Aaron Ward (left) and Dr. Glenn Bauman (right)
At Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson), research and patient care go hand in hand. Every day Lawson researchers, staff and trainees work tirelessly to improve our understanding of disease processes, health solutions, and better systems of care in Canada, and around the world.
Lawson is the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), and works in partnership with Western University and its constituent faculties. As a research community, we are fully integrated into London’s hospitals and have many successful programs, including the Children’s Health Research Institute.
It is hospital-based research that bridges the gap between discovery and the next generation of innovative health delivery – and our researchers are doing just that.
Dr. Douglas Fraser, Lawson scientist and physician at LHSC’s Children’s Hospital, worked with researchers at Western University to develop a blood test that can identify with greater than 90 per cent certainty whether or not an adolescent athlete has suffered a concussion. Diagnosis of a clinically significant concussion can be difficult as it currently relies on a combination of patient symptom assessment and clinician judgement. The blood test, however, measures a panel of metabolites, small molecules that are the products of the body’s metabolism, to search for distinct patterns that indicate a concussion has occurred.
A collaborative team led by Dr. Glenn Bauman, Lawson scientist and radiation oncologist at LHSC, and Dr. Aaron Ward, Lawson scientist, were the first in Canada to capture highly specific prostate cancer images using a new molecule known as a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) probe. The PSMA probe is used in Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) scans to correctly diagnose cancer. The probe is injected into a patient where it then spreads throughout the body and identifies sites of disease by specifically targeting PSMA molecules, which are found on prostate cancer cells.
To learn more about the many other innovations developed at Lawson and how our research impacts the care you receive, visit www.lawsonresearch.ca
From left: Dr. Trevor Shepherd, Peter and Trudy Channer, Sheila Fletcher, Dr. Gabriel DiMattia, (back row) the Pooley Family (not pictured: Robert Freeland and George Monckton)
Martha Gleason, nurse continence advisor, at the Continence Care Clinic
The Cornerstone Counselling team
For over 20 years, donors to London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) have been working with physicians, care providers and researchers at London Health Sciences Centre to give them the tools they need to save lives and get patients back to the things they love most.
As our hospital continues on its journey to help transform health care and provide the safest and most effective care possible, donor support is more critical than ever – and we are proud to say our donors have continued to do amazing things in the past year.
An outpouring of community support resulted in the foundation raising more than $28 million in revenue for our hospital last year and while that number is something for everyone in our community to be proud of, the impact of that generosity is even more important.
Just a few examples of the impact of donor dollars are:
Without donor support, none of these initiatives would have been possible. Learn more at lhsf.ca/annualreport
From left: Rebecca, Richard and Cole
Children’s Health Foundation (CHF), through the generosity of our donors, provides support for life-enhancing services and life-saving care at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre that children and their families rely on in their time of need. From specialized equipment and innovative research to family-centred programs and services, donors are making a difference for thousands of kids across Southwestern Ontario and parts of Northern Ontario, like Cole.
Four-year-old Cole became ill shortly before starting kindergarten. His parents thought he had the flu, but a blood test at his local hospital in Exeter revealed his kidneys were failing. He was rushed to Children’s Hospital to receive treatment in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU). Cole spent the next three weeks fighting for his life against a mysterious illness that would take his left arm and leg. It turned out Cole had Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, an extremely rare disease of the immune system. For the next four years, Cole endured dialysis treatments four hours a day, four days a week. In February 2014, he received a kidney transplant.
The Child Life Program was there for Cole every step of the way. This essential, donor-funded program started helping Cole when he was in the PCCU and continued when he visited for dialysis treatments. His Child Life Specialists spent time with him, playing with games and toys to keep his spirits up, and helped Cole cope with difficult days.
Donor support has a lasting impact on children’s health care in our region. Learn more about the miracles happening every day at www.childhealth.ca
London Health Sciences Centre depends on the support of its foundation and research partners, whose dedication allows our staff and physicians to continue providing our patients and their families with high-quality, compassionate and innovative care.
At Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson), research and patient care go hand in hand. Every day Lawson researchers, staff and trainees work tirelessly to improve our understanding of disease processes, health solutions, and better systems of care in Canada, and around the world.
Lawson is the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), and works in partnership with Western University and its constituent faculties. As a research community, we are fully integrated into London’s hospitals and have many successful programs, including the Children’s Health Research Institute.
It is hospital-based research that bridges the gap between discovery and the next generation of innovative health delivery – and our researchers are doing just that.
Dr. Douglas Fraser, Lawson scientist and physician at LHSC’s Children’s Hospital, worked with researchers at Western University to develop a blood test that can identify with greater than 90 per cent certainty whether or not an adolescent athlete has suffered a concussion. Diagnosis of a clinically significant concussion can be difficult as it currently relies on a combination of patient symptom assessment and clinician judgement. The blood test, however, measures a panel of metabolites, small molecules that are the products of the body’s metabolism, to search for distinct patterns that indicate a concussion has occurred.
A collaborative team led by Dr. Glenn Bauman, Lawson scientist and radiation oncologist at LHSC, and Dr. Aaron Ward, Lawson scientist, were the first in Canada to capture highly specific prostate cancer images using a new molecule known as a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) probe. The PSMA probe is used in Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) scans to correctly diagnose cancer. The probe is injected into a patient where it then spreads throughout the body and identifies sites of disease by specifically targeting PSMA molecules, which are found on prostate cancer cells.
To learn more about the many other innovations developed at Lawson and how our research impacts the care you receive, visit www.lawsonresearch.ca
Dr. Douglas Fraser
Dr. Aaron Ward (left) and Dr. Glenn Bauman (right)
For over 20 years, donors to London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) have been working with physicians, care providers and researchers at London Health Sciences Centre to give them the tools they need to save lives and get patients back to the things they love most.
As our hospital continues on its journey to help transform health care and provide the safest and most effective care possible, donor support is more critical than ever – and we are proud to say our donors have continued to do amazing things in the past year.
An outpouring of community support resulted in the foundation raising more than $28 million in revenue for our hospital last year and while that number is something for everyone in our community to be proud of, the impact of that generosity is even more important.
Just a few examples of the impact of donor dollars are:
Without donor support, none of these initiatives would have been possible. Learn more at lhsf.ca/annualreport
From left: Dr. Trevor Shepherd, Peter and Trudy Channer, Sheila Fletcher, Dr. Gabriel DiMattia, (back row) the Pooley Family (not pictured: Robert Freeland and George Monckton)
Martha Gleason, nurse continence advisor, at the Continence Care Clinic
The Cornerstone Counselling team
Children’s Health Foundation (CHF), through the generosity of our donors, provides support for life-enhancing services and life-saving care at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre that children and their families rely on in their time of need. From specialized equipment and innovative research to family-centred programs and services, donors are making a difference for thousands of kids across Southwestern Ontario and parts of Northern Ontario, like Cole.
Four-year-old Cole became ill shortly before starting kindergarten. His parents thought he had the flu, but a blood test at his local hospital in Exeter revealed his kidneys were failing. He was rushed to Children’s Hospital to receive treatment in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU). Cole spent the next three weeks fighting for his life against a mysterious illness that would take his left arm and leg. It turned out Cole had Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, an extremely rare disease of the immune system. For the next four years, Cole endured dialysis treatments four hours a day, four days a week. In February 2014, he received a kidney transplant.
The Child Life Program was there for Cole every step of the way. This essential, donor-funded program started helping Cole when he was in the PCCU and continued when he visited for dialysis treatments. His Child Life Specialists spent time with him, playing with games and toys to keep his spirits up, and helped Cole cope with difficult days.
Donor support has a lasting impact on children’s health care in our region. Learn more about the miracles happening every day at www.childhealth.ca
From left: Rebecca, Richard and Cole
