A life impacted, but not defined by MS
A St. Michael’s patient shares her story about her journey with multiple sclerosis
Bibianne Yu sits still before her piano.
Yu pounds two dramatic staccato chords to break the silence and then a flood of notes — fast and winding — flow from her fingers. Her passion and skill pierce through the hum of static on the recording of one of her old auditions, a performance of the Poulenc concerto for two pianos.
Listening to the performance now, the former concert pianist and instructor feels humbled. Yu, 47, hasn’t touched a piano in close to three years.
Read the September Our Shared Purpose newsletter
Bridging another gap in our system
Bringing peritoneal dialysis care to Providence addresses a pressing need
Aug. 29, 2019 – Across Toronto, few rehab facilities have staff trained to provide peritoneal dialysis. That could’ve been an issue for Ray Mark.
Mark knew he’d need extensive rehabilitation following a series of significant health issues last winter that left him unable to use both of his legs. Mark had lived a full and busy life. He was working at a job he enjoyed, loved spending time with his young granddaughter and had an active social life with his partner, Nettie.
NEWS
Listening to patients
Reimagining patient education by building better tools to improve health literacy
Aug. 26, 2019 – Registered nurses Katherine Mansfield and Sarah Kreher never would’ve thought that bedside whiteboards could dramatically affect the care experience until they heard it directly from patients.
Research suggests that low health literacy is associated with lower adherence to medication, poor chronic disease management, and increased hospitalization.
PUBLICATIONS
Check out Unity Health Toronto’s 2018-19 Annual Report
July 23, 2019 – It has been a year of firsts for our network – our first full year together, our first integrated quality improvement plan, the development of our first strategic plan and the creation of our network name, Unity Health Toronto.
We are so excited to share with you our 2018-19 annual report. In it you’ll find a summary of our achievements, all of which were made possible by our staff, physicians, volunteers and donors at our three sites and our shared purpose to provide excellent and compassionate care to all our patients, residents, clients, their families and our respective communities.
NEWS
Another integration milestone
Digital connections bringing Unity Health sites closer than ever
July 22, 2019 – After six months of planning, testing and training, St. Michael’s Hospital radiologists are beginning to read Providence Healthcare patient and residents X-ray exams, marking an important milestone for service integration at Unity Health Toronto.
“Although patients and residents have always been able to have X-rays taken at Providence, we didn’t have the organizational capacity or resources to read the exams,” said Dr. Ashley Verduyn, interim chief and director of medical affairs at Providence.
July 10, 2019: Meet our new chief residents
July 8, 2019: Announcing Unity Health Toronto’s new chair of the Board of Directors: Colleen Johnston
Summer 2019: Read July/August 2019 Our Shared Purpose newsletter
June 26, 2019: Falls prevention clinic at Providence helps patients stay strong and independent
June 12, 2019: Reimagining patient education: building better tools to improve health literacy