Children’s Health Foundation is fundraising to support excellence in children’s health care and research, from the heart of your local community right up to specialized tertiary health care.
Together with Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH), we’re envisioning a brighter future for our children in Windsor and Essex County.
On November 10, under the banner of Hope Transforms Community, Children’s Health Foundation was grateful to host an esteemed panel of senior leaders from both hospitals, including:
· Dr. Sajit Augustine, Chief of Paediatrics & Medical Director, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Program, WRH
· Dr. Craig Campbell, Chair & Department Head, Department of Paediatrics, Children’s Hospital
· Karen Riddell, President and CEO, WRH
The panel met, informed, and talked with members of the community in Windsor and Amherstburg. Both events were geared to informing each community of the levels of collaboration between WRH and Children’s Hospital, as well as outlining areas in the paediatric sphere earmarked for development. Attendees learned:
Specialized Care Impacts Thousands of Windsor-Essex Children
Children’s Hospital cares for approximately 3,500 children from Windsor/Essex annually during more than 10,000 visits. Children’s Hospital is home to 125 subspecialists, while the Windsor Paediatric Unit features 12 subspecialists, all dedicated to caring for children from Windsor/Essex.
Collaboration Advances Paediatric Care for Windsor/Essex
WRH’s Paediatric Unit, Children’s Hospital and Children’s Health Foundation work together to bring hope to sick children in Windsor/Essex. Their partnership recently grew stronger with the launch of a Virtual Paediatric Critical Care program at WRH, enabling instant video connections between the two hospitals for seamless consultation and expertise. Reflecting on this advancement and others, Drs. Campbell and Augustine emphasized that the partnership between Windsor and London is firmly rooted in collaboration.
Impactful Opportunities for Support
At both events, the speakers identified various paediatric care projects benefiting Windsor/Essex that are opportunities for support. These included:
- Creating new paediatric specialty outreach clinics in Windsor/Essex.
- Establishing a one-year post-residency program at Children’s Hospital to cross-train surgeons to perform both adult and paediatric day-surgery procedures at WRH.
- Implementing a satellite overnight EEG monitoring unit to improve access to epilepsy diagnosis and care in the region.
- Inaugurating a joint research and quality improvement funding competition to advance Windsor and London-based collaborations.
- Launching a satellite division of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Dept. of Paediatrics.
Community Giving Fuels Hospital Collaboration
Drs. Campbell and Augustine acknowledged that, due to the extent of the collaboration between both their hospitals, donor support for either would benefit both institutions and, by extension, paediatric care in Windsor/Essex. Scott Fortnum, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation, reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to Windsor/Essex and highlighted several of the various avenues available to support, including fundraising drives at LCBO, 7Eleven, Costco and Walmart.
The Hope Transforms Community events provided the residents of Windsor, Amherstburg and environs with the opportunity to hear about regional improvements to paediatric care that are in the works for communities in Windsor/Essex. Look out for more events like this in Windsor/Essex in the months ahead.
