Message from the President – December 9, 2020
Dear Friends,
One has to admit, waking up to freshly fallen snow is magical. And perhaps even more so if you don’t have to contend with a commute, which is the reality for many of us. I am grateful that I have something different to look at in my garden (below) from my kitchen “desk”, as the Foundation staff have returned to remote working to reduce the community footprint in the Hospital.
The shorter amount of daylight brings home that winter is coming even when we are tricked by sunny weekends and oddly warm temperatures. Although the early darkness appeals when you’ve wrapped up work for the day and have decided that binging on The Crown is much better activity than unnecessary shopping trips. I only feel slightly less guilty if I have dedicated time to exercise as well!
Fortunately, I am pleased to share a much more educational way to spend your night beyond Netflix with our latest House Calls: a virtual conversation with our community on Wednesday, December 16th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and its theme is: Virtually Yours in a COVID-19 World. Three of the Hospital’s approachable and esteemed physicians will address “Is virtual care here to stay?” and share how North York General has pivoted to virtual care from birth to seniors and everything in between. There will be a question and answer period and I encourage you to register here and Zoom in.
As the world both changes and stands still in many ways, the needs of our Hospital must still be met. We recently launched We Need More Space (we figured we should just get to the point!) which is an effort to raise funds to expand the Charlotte & Lewis Steinberg Emergency in two key areas: our ambulatory clinic space, which is literally bursting at its seams due to increased patient volumes, and the creation of a new Mental Health Emergency Services Unit, to address an increased and unprecedented demand for mental health crisis support across all generations in our community. Click here to learn more about this exciting next phase in the expansion of our Emergency Department or connect with me directly if you’d like to discuss a donation.
On November 10th, the role of philanthropy couldn’t have been more clear with the opening of a new paediatric centre named for the Steinberg Family with a lead gift by Charlotte and Lewis Steinberg. Many gifts from across Toronto powered this vision of a hospital within a hospital and I urge you to watch the video below for a virtual tour which details the journey of the project and its importance to this community. Caring for our children and grandchildren close to home has never been more critical. If you would like to learn more or chat about supporting paediatrics, please be in touch with me.
Just in time for the holiday season, we have introduced a line of North York Strong branded clothing. The perfect gift for the holiday season or great comfortable wear for working from home or just hanging out. Order soon to get them in time for gift giving and show your support for North York General health care workers who are making a world of difference.
North York General has administered over 144,000 COVID-19 tests to date and these tests are by appointment only for those who have symptoms or meet other guidelines. You can find the Assessment Centres guidelines here.
Branson Site
555 Finch Ave. (North Entrance immediately after Finch)
8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
North York General has gone to extensive efforts to make sure the Hospital is safe for patients and staff. If you require emergency services, please don’t hesitate to come to the Hospital. You must wear a mask and respect the rules detailed upon arrival.
We absolutely want you to come and see us when you need medical care.
The holidays will be different as we gather in the safest way by only celebrating in person with those you live with and finding new ways to be together virtually with other family and friends. In ours, there will be some pretty creative games, and tacky Christmas sweaters are sure to make appearances in our extended family Zoom calls. And I am sure my mother would never have imagined the sacred Night Before Christmas being recited virtually across a few times zones. I think the best news of December is the positive reports about vaccines and we have good reason to believe we will have a strong and safe supply for Canada in 2021.
I will end by wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season and thanking you for your support of North York General — you truly help us save lives and provide outstanding care close to home. We are blessed to have incredible physicians and staff right here in this community and that is the best gift of all.
With my best to you and yours, and #staysafe,
Terry Pursell
President & CEO
NYGHTacklesCOVID19.ca
p.s. With the Festive Season soon upon us, December 31st will sneak up fast! Don’t miss out on making a donation for the 2020 tax year which will reduce your taxable income. You might also consider a gift of stock or mutual funds, however we must receive them by end of day December 21st.
