QEII Times - Winter 2022

WINTER 2022

TRANSFORMING HEALTH CARE

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A QEII Foundation publication in association with The Chronicle Herald, QEII Times is designed to shine a light on the QEII Health Sciences Centre community.

A word from the QEII Foundation Raising $100 million to boldly advance care for a new QEII Health Sciences Centre

Contributors Allison Lawlor Colleen Cosgrove Joey Fitzpatrick Natalie Jarvis Nicole Topple Sarah Marshall Susan Mullin Tanya MacLean Photographers Dr. James Gould Jeff Cooke/Cooked Photography Michael Tompkins QEII Foundation Shehab Illyas © The Chronicle Herald 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent from the publisher.

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Jeff Cooke / Cooked Photography

Editor Sara Ericsson Communications, QEII Foundation Jenn Coleman-Ford Senior Graphic Designer Julia Webb

By Susan Mullin, president & CEO, QEII Foundation Health care in our province is changing. These changes are ones that will impact all of us, as Nova Scotia has made a commitment to build a new QEII Health Sciences

Centre.

While it might not feel real just yet, the beginning phases of construction have started at the QEII’s Halifax Infirmary campus

off of Robie Street. Donors are also already working their magic in the halls of the QEII through our We Are campaign and our bold vision to raise $100 million for a new QEII. Robotics technology has come to our operating rooms. New cancer scanning technology is detecting even the smallest traces of cancer. E-mental health services can now be accessed from anywhere, by anyone. And gas and grocery cards are in the hands of patients who need help.

All donor-funded, all focused on helping patients.

If you close your eyes and imagine a better hospital, what do you see? We see care delivered with the best technology. In fact, we see world-first technologies developed here by innovative clinicians.

We imagine new procedures that reduce the number of hospital visits. Personalized medicine that delivers no one treatment the same. And a

research-driven centre dedicated to finding new breakthroughs that extend lives and cure disease.

As our province builds our future QEII — a new cancer centre, more operating rooms, flexible inpatient spaces designed around the patient, with the perfect balance of natural light and nature-inspired areas to calm and recharge — the QEII Foundation is ready.

We are ready to boldly advance care, evolve and improve the patient experience, and tackle some of the greatest challenges in health care. We’re stepping up to make the greatest QEII possible, for all of us. But we can’t do this alone.

Join us in this movement today.

We need you. Whether it’s better mental health supports, new cancer treatments or technology advances, the We Are campaign is the future of health care.

We’re not stopping until we reach $100 million.

COVID patient was one day away from booked vaccination appointment Music composer for QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign grateful for his care at the QEII

By Tanya MacLean Asif Illyas clearly remembers the look on his wife’s face when he was admitted to the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s IMCU in May 2021.

“Her face was full of fear. As a family doctor, Alison knew exactly how serious it was for me.”

COVID-19 had entered their home, targeting all four family members, including their 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. While his family isolated and managed symptoms of migraines and stuffy noses, it was around day 11 when Asif ’s flu-like feeling became

something much worse.

After two trips to emergency at the QEII, Asif was given a CT scan and admitted to IMCU. His care team used a CPAP machine to deliver focused oxygen to his body — a decision, he says, which saved him from being intubated.

“As a musician and singer, the thought of being intubated was very scary,” Asif shares, who describes himself as “a nerd who loves the technical stuff.”

“The science behind things fascinated me but the unknown was the scariest. The team at the QEII are rock stars. They told me

what they were doing and what I had to do, so once I knew the procedures and the flight plan, I felt very comforted with that knowledge.”

Growing up, Asif had dreams of being an engineer or pilot, but music captured his heart and took him on a different life path. After studying music at Dalhousie University, he was in a few bands that toured Canada and found great success in Germany.

As he started his family and felt the pull to stay closer to home, he shifted his musical talents to composing for film projects and

business advertising.

“I started my company, The Shire, to stay closer to home, especially after my daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a very young age.

Taking care of her was my top priority,” he says.

So, when the QEII Foundation approached him to compose music for their new We Are campaign to raise $100 million to transform health care at the QEII, Asif says it was a no brainer.

COVID PATIENT – Page 3

The new QEII Health Sciences Centre will increase access to modern, patient-centred, quality care and leading-edge health technologies, all while improving the patient care experience. This illustration shows an aerial view of the new QEII that will include covered patient drop-off areas, lots of natural light, open greenspace, self-serve kiosks, and improved patient and family-centred wayfinding. Image is for illustration purposes only and is subject to change. Nova Scotia Health

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COVID patient Continued from Page 2

“Health care is so important to me. Ava has dealt with diabetes for many years and now recently my son, Jet, was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,” Asif shares. “Going through COVID and seeing the QEII teams suit up to care for me and so many other patients, they are just incredible.

Working on this campaign is so powerful. Every project I work on is important but being involved in helping improve health care, that is the ultimate.”

Asif was in hospital for 10 days, after which he faced a slow but steady recovery at home. “At first, even walking to the end of the block was really hard. I love cycling but couldn’t even ride my bike because of my lungs and air capacity.”

Despite his serious experience with COVID-19, he has no lingering symptoms. His care team at the QEII called every week for the first six weeks to monitor his health and he is still being followed up on

by respirology and infectious disease teams at the QEII. And while he still gets uncomfortable with needles, he signed up for a research study at the QEII that required weekly blood tests to examine the treatment he received for COVID. “If it will help other people, I’m in.”

“This virus is serious,” Asif says. “When you are healthy, you don’t think you will get it. I was one day away from my booked vaccination appointment and I don’t have any other conditions, and it still hit me hard. Really hard.”

To hear Asif ’s featured music in the QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign, visit QE2Foundation.ca.

Local music composer Asif Illyas is grateful for the care his received during a 10-day stay at the QEII for COVID-19.

He is now sharing his talents to help others through the QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign to raise $100 million to transform health care at the QEII. Shehab Illyas

especially later in life,” he says.

Learning how to live with cancer also saw Gavin register for the QEII Foundation’s BMO Ride for Cancer event and become a highlighted patient voice in the QEII Foundation’s recently launched We Are campaign — a $100 million campaign to transform care at the QEII. “It is a huge honour to be part of the campaign. I’m really excited about it — it’s just the beginning of being an advocate to do anything I can for better cancer treatments and limit suffering,” shares Gavin.

While Gavin is grateful his form of cancer is not hereditary, the family connections to cancer run deep. He was at his aunt’s bedside when she passed from cancer and, just a few years later, was at his father’s beside when he passed from what started as prostate cancer — a few months shy of him meeting Gavin’s

daughter, the first grandchild.

“During one of the last visits I had with dad, I was able to show him an ultrasound picture and he even got to feel the baby kick a little bit,” smiles Gavin. “Dad was so excited to meet our baby — I wish he had lived long enough to see her face.”

Sharing his story and being profiled in the Foundation’s We Are campaign is important to Gavin, who knows his father would be proud of him for doing so.

“We all deal with health issues in our life and sadly, will watch loved ones go through tough times. That’s what the We Are campaign is all about — getting better treatments and care and keeping up with new research and advancements. All of that takes money but donors can make that happen,” says Gavin.

“Supporting local health care makes a lot of sense, to make an impact on your life and your loved ones’ lives.”

Gavin Mills and his wife Natasha were still settling into their new roles as parents when Gavin was diagnosed with an early-stage blood cancer that he will learn to live with his whole life. Gavin’s healthcare experience, and that of close family members, inspired him to be the patient voice in the QEII Foundation’s $100-million We Are fundraising campaign to transform care at the QEII. Contributed

Facing a cancer diagnosis while becoming a new dad Patient voice in QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign has a form of cancer he will live with his whole life

By Tanya MacLean Gavin Mills and his wife Natasha were still settling into their new roles as parents to three-month-old Fiona when Gavin had the shock of his life — routine blood tests that revealed high white blood cell counts, and a phone call that followed confirming he had cancer.

“I received the call on a Friday afternoon while at work. I told my boss I had to go home and deal with this,” recalls Gavin. “I was already traumatized by cancer because I had family members who had suffered. I didn’t know what I was facing.”

It was March 2021 and, while dealing with the everyday pressures of COVID19 and being a new dad, Gavin was now facing a cancer diagnosis. After additional consultations and tests with cancer specialists at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, doctors determined Gavin had a

form of early-stage blood cancer, causing his cells to reproduce in a deformed state and take up space in his bone marrow.

While not an aggressive cancer, it is one that is rarely cured, meaning Gavin would need to learn how to live with cancer.

“I will have cancer my whole life,” explains Gavin. “This was difficult to comprehend at first, but the QEII teams really helped ease my mind and educate me on how to live with this form of cancer.”

Living with cancer for Gavin means strict monitoring of his organs through routine blood tests, to get ahead of any arising issues. With a reduced immune response, staying healthy is key for Gavin.

“Getting sick with COVID or anything else is higher-risk for me. Sickness or diseases that the body would normally fight off could be a big concern for me,

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TRANSFORMING HEALTH CARE Meet the QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign chairs.

Nova Scotia has made a major commitment and investment to transform and build a new QEII Health Sciences Centre – an advanced centre that will meet the demands of today and for the next 50 years, impacting the lives of all Atlantic Canadians.

The community leaders on these two pages share a passion for health care. Through their leadership, the QEII Foundation will push the QEII to the next level through philanthropic investment – all in the name of advancing care for Atlantic Canadians.

The QEII Foundation’s We Are campaign – the largest healthcare fundraising campaign ever in Atlantic Canada – will boldly advance care, evolve and improve the patient experience, and tackle some of the greatest challenges in health care. With the QEII Foundation’s vision and support, QEII New Generation will not only be about new buildings but also about next generation technology, advanced equipment, and world-leading research that makes medical miracles possible.

With sincere gratitude, we thank Sherry, Doug, Don, Michelle and Gordon for their time, volunteerism, inspiration and commitment to advancing care for Atlantic Canadians.

With philanthropy, anything is possible.

CANCER CARE

Pioneering new treatments that are highly personalized and as unique as the individual receiving it. am a two-time breast cancer survivor. My “ Iinterest in health care has been with me

in a big way since 1991, when I was first diagnosed. Since then, I have learned a great deal about what can be accomplished through philanthropy.

SHERRY PORTER

FORMER CHAIR, QEII FOUNDATION | CORPORATE DIRECTOR CANCER CARE CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR

Volunteerism is part of my DNA and I’ve been volunteering with the QEII Foundation since 2004. My husband Doug and I are excited to be a part of the We Are campaign. We’re moved by the innovation we see coming to the region – and with that innovation comes better health outcomes, lower wait times and improved patient experiences.

With my own cancer experience, I love knowing that the QEII is the tertiary care centre for all of Atlantic Canada. With worldclass specialists and researchers across many areas of care, the QEII continues to attract top talent from across the country and beyond, giving the QEII the opportunity to truly be a centre of excellence.

DOUG HALL

CORPORATE DIRECTOR

CANCER CARE CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR

Pushing to the forefront of innovation and setting higher standards for how we care for patients and their families means that the greatest QEII will be here for us now and for future generations.

This is our time to define the future of health care at the QEII.

”

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SURGICAL INNOVATION

Challenging norms with surgical innovation that will have a significant impact on patients requiring life-changing surgery.

runs deep in my family; I believe “Volunteerism it’s important to help make a positive impact on people’s lives in our community.

I’ve lost many family members to cancer – and I had cancer in 2013. Some very special doctors at the QEII helped me become cancer free and, in getting to know them, I learned about the need for advanced cancer care.

Surgical innovation is a game-changer for Nova Scotians. It improves outcomes for patients and helps attract and retain worldclass doctors in our local community.

DON CLOW

As someone who is here today because of the quality of care at the QEII, I realize we all need to give back to make progress in health care for our children and future generations.

CEO, CROMBIE REIT

SURGICAL INNOVATION CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR

”

Nova Scotia healthcare system has “The been a presence in my life for decades – but for a long time, I took it for granted. Then, when three members of my family needed care for serious illnesses in as many years, I recognized and understood the important supports that the QEII Foundation provides.

I was inspired to roll up my sleeves.

The surgical innovation campaign is incredibly exciting. When its goal is reached, the benefits to Nova Scotians will transcend age, geography, industry and economics. The QEII will be a world leader in robotic surgery, improving outcomes, decreasing delays and attracting the highest-skilled professionals to its already incredible surgical teams.

Transformation is a big promise but we will deliver and everyone will win.

”

MICHELLE AWAD, QC PARTNER, McINNES COOPER

SURGICAL INNOVATION CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR

MENTAL HEALTH

Transforming mental health care delivery and creating spaces to promote wellness and healing. my own experience a few years ago, “ Through it became clear to me that our physical and mental health are inextricably intertwined.

In the last two years, I think COVID-19 has accelerated creativity and open-mindedness about how mental health care can be delivered in new and amazing ways that result in greater access and better health outcomes.

GORDON COOPER COO, RTGS GLOBAL

MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN CHAIR

With leading healthcare professionals at the QEII and across the province – combined with the generosity of donors large and small from within our communities – this campaign has the opportunity to reach a new standard of care for mental health and addictions. We deserve no less.

”

For more information about transforming health care, visit Q E 2 F o u n d a t i o n . c a

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We Are Legends How one couple’s commitment to health care will change the lives of patients they’ll never meet or know

By Nicole Topple What if you could transform health care for generations to come? What if your legacy, or legend, was the lives saved and the healthcare advances made possible for those who follow?

A gift in your will — even as little as one per cent — to the QEII Foundation is one way to do that.

Married for 50 years, Jack and Jane Rowberry recently joined a special group of individuals who’ve made that commitment to the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

One day, their generosity will directly impact care at the QEII — changing the lives of patients they’ll never meet or know.

For 75-year-old retiree Jack, it was a decision that “just made sense.” Both he and Jane are cancer survivors and credit their QEII surgeons, Dr. David Bell and Dr. James Bentley, for saving their lives.

A LIFE REVOLVING AROUND CHANGE

Jack and Jane first met in 1968 at the Toronto bank where they both worked. Jack smiles as he describes his wife as the “smartest, most talented person” he knows and says that for him, it truly was love at first sight.

The pair married three years later, and both enjoyed successful careers in Toronto’s financial sector. Then, in 1994, the couple craved change.

“We had these amazing banking jobs, but we needed something different,” says Jack.

“I was only 48 and still a few years away from retirement, but we both realized it was time for a change.”

After caring for their aging parents and demanding careers, a move to the East Coast offered a new adventure and the chance to slow down.

“We visited Nova Scotia for the very first time, arriving on a Sunday,” says Jack. “By Friday that same week, we had purchased our home in Lunenburg. Our friends thought we were crazy, but we had no regrets.”

The pair’s bold move inspired many pivotal life changes and ignited a deep love for the maritime scenery, pace and its people. They realized their dream of opening a bed and breakfast, which they ran in Lunenburg for more than five years, and Jane became an artist, discovering a newfound love for painting. Today, her acrylic, oil and watercolour pieces are found at the Quartet Gallery in Lunenburg.

With evolving careers and new ventures for the South Shore couple, change continued to remain a theme in the Rowberrys' lives. Then, in 1999, Jane was diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

“She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and 10 years of monitoring at the QEII,” says Jack. “Several years later, I had my own cancer experience when they detected prostate cancer.”

Jack too underwent lifechanging surgery — a prostatectomy performed by the QEII’s Dr. David Bell to remove the cancerous tumor.

“Dr. Bell saved me. Both Jane and I had incredible care, right from our family doctor and our surgeons to the entire healthcare teams who cared for us over the years,” says Jack. “Today we’re both cancer-free and incredibly grateful.”

It was these healthcare experiences that ultimately inspired the Rowberrys to arrange a charitable gift in their will.

Through this gift, Jack and Jane’s future investment will play an important role in tomorrow’s health care; care that is always evolving and changing.

A LEGENDARY GIFT FOR TOMORROW’S HEALTH CARE While not available during the Rowberrys’ own cancer experiences, surgical robotics has now become a treatment option at the QEII for both endometrial and prostate cancer.

This innovative technology is used for certain prostate, gynecological, kidney, and ear, nose and throat (ENT) cancer surgeries, and was entirely donorfunded by the QEII Foundation in 2021, including several charitable gifts in wills. It’s a prime example of donations at work and the impact your generosity can have on the future of health care.

“Medicine is changing at unprecedented rates — from robotics in ORs to research that extends lives and cures disease,” says Geoff Graham, charitable giving advisor at the QEII Foundation.

“Our supporters — whether they choose to make a gift today or a deferred gift in the future — are allowing our healthcare teams to keep pace and make these advances possible.”

When donors, like the Rowberrys, choose to remember the QEII Foundation in their will, they’re helping to ensure the best, most innovative care is available for future generations.

“With their future commitment, these generous supporters become our legends — those who, together with other like-minded individuals, will truly change and impact health care for decades to come,” says Geoff. “Every gift

Jack Rowberry and his wife, Jane, are cancer survivors. Grateful for the extraordinary care they received at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, the pair has arranged a gift in their will to the QEII Foundation. They join a community of countless others — our legends — whose generosity will transform health care for future generations.

Mike Tompkins

in a will makes a difference and anyone can become a legend.”

According to Jack, the QEII continues to play an important role in the couple’s life. In March 2020, he underwent open-heart surgery by Dr. Jeremy Wood — a five-hour aortic valve repair during the height of Nova Scotia’s first COVID-19 wave.

“I can’t seem to keep away from you guys,” he laughs. “But

even during COVID, the ongoing care and teams have been great.”

It’s one of many reasons why a gift in their will resonated with the longtime couple.

“For Jane and I, it feels good knowing we’ll be able to support the care areas that are important to us,” says Jack. “Changing care for others is one more thing we can do.”

BECOME A QEII LEGEND When you think of legends, your mind may jump to legendary athletes — the big names and history makers — who redefined the sports they played and influenced the world. But what if your generosity inspired legendary changes? What if your legacy was changing health care for those who follow?

When you commit to make a gift in your will to the QEII Foundation, you join a very special group of individuals — your fellow QEII legends — who share your vision for better health care.

To join us or learn more about how your generosity can inspire legendary changes in medicine, visit QE2Foundation.ca/wills or call 902-334-1546.

From a stroke in her kitchen to purchasing her first home Record number of patients treated in the QEII’s new IR suites in 2021

By Nicole Topple In March 2021, 26-year-old Meg Keevill’s life changed in an instant when she had a stroke while making lunch.

The healthy and vibrant Halifax resident, who was working from home at the time, says she first felt a weakness in her leg while taking a break. She then collapsed on her kitchen floor.

“I tried pulling myself up, but just kept falling over because I was losing feeling in my left arm and my face as well,” says Meg. “Luckily, my partner, Mike, came home within five minutes of this happening and he immediately recognized the signs of stroke and called 911.”

In moments of crisis, every second counts, which is why Meg credits the paramedics’ quick response and the immediate care she received as her saving grace.

“The paramedics were incredible at treating me on the spot and getting me to the hospital very quickly,” says Meg. When she arrived at the QEII Health Sciences Centre by ambulance, she received a clotbuster drug at the direction of the neurology stroke team to help dissolve the blood clot that had travelled to her brain. She was then immediately transferred to the QEII’s new interventional radiology (IR) suites where

she was under the care of their world-class team, including interventional neuroradiologists Dr. Matthias Schmidt and Dr. David Volders.

“They performed an endovascular thrombectomy procedure to remove the clot and essentially saved my life,” says Meg. Meg’s story is one of many. In 2021, a recording-breaking 8,000 procedures were performed in the QEII’s new, state-of-the-art IR suites — 1,800 more procedures compared to previous years (2020 and 2019). This milestone is a direct result of the QEII Foundation joining forces with the province to expand and reimagine the vital care area.

“We consulted with interventional radiology departments across North America to determine the best possible, most efficient setup we could, to advance care for our patients,” says Dr. Robert Berry, former QEII head of interventional radiology.

With this vision in mind, the IR suites, which began treating patients in November 2020, were able to expand from two to four procedure rooms (with the fourth slated to open in March 2022), treating more patients and reducing overall wait times for care.

With the support of donors, the QEII Foundation contributed $1.25 million to the project.

This ensured the IR suites are equipped with the latest technology to perform the most advanced, innovative procedures possible, as well as fully funding a new 11-bed recovery space.

QEII radiologists believed in the project so much, they provided a matching gift of $200,000 to the QEII Foundation to help rally community support.

It’s an incredible showcase of donor dollars at work and one of several care areas that’s already feeling the impact of the QEII Foundation’s $100-million We Are campaign to transform health care.

For patients like Meg, these donor-funded advances can mean stopping a life-altering stroke immediately in its tracks.

According to Dr. Bob VanDorpe, QEII section head of neuroradiology, if a patient is having a stroke, the neuro IR team can often stop it using a procedure that pulls the blood clot causing the stroke out of the artery.

“Instead of that patient going on to a lifetime of being paralyzed or not being able to speak, they can have this miraculous recovery where the clot is pulled out of the

Meg Keevill (right) pictured with her partner, Mike. Meg’s life-saving procedure was one of 8,000 to occur in the QEII’s new IR suites in 2021; a leading-edge care area impacted by the QEII Foundation’s $100-million We Are campaign.

Contributed

person’s artery and, in some cases, they can recover completely with no deficits,” he says.

It’s one of many life-changing procedures performed by the QEII’s IR team, which includes IR physicians, anesthesiologists, IR technologists, RNs, LPNs, clerical and inventory staff, and more. Together, they care for patients from head to toe, treating conditions like stroke, cancer and dangerous bleeding with the most minimally invasive procedures possible.

Today, Meg feels “immensely grateful” to the many teams and healthcare providers, including IR, who played a critical role

in her care journey. She’s also thankful for the donor-funded technology that helped save her life and the warm, bright recovery space that greeted her after her procedure.

Nearing the one-year anniversary of the life-changing event, Meg is now back to work full time, recently stood in her older sister’s wedding, and celebrated the purchase of her first home with her partner, Mike.

“I’ve now experienced firsthand how important these donations are and know that they make a huge impact in saving lives,” says Meg. “I’m very lucky and incredibly thankful.”

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With $1.2 million from the donor-funded QEII COVID-19 Response Fund, Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone diagnostic imaging management team (left to right) Colleen Caines, Bev Barrios, Brian Martell, Sharon Hartling and Dr. James Clarke are reducing wait times and diagnostic imaging services backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributed

‘The patients are so grateful’ QEII COVID-19 Response Fund tackles wait times, reduces procedure backlogs for patients

By Allison Lawlor QEII Foundation donors are making a substantial difference when it comes to tackling wait times and the backlog for diagnostic imaging services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With $1.2 million from the QEII COVID-19 Response Fund, additional technologists, sonographers and appointment booking staff were hired to extend the hours of operation of CT-scan, ultrasound and MRI services at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and the Dartmouth General Hospital.

“This will help us get back on track, so patients aren’t experiencing delayed diagnosis,” says Dr. James Clarke, a QEII radiologist and head of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology for Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Central Zone.

By opening appointments to patients on weekends and up until 11 p.m. on weeknights, as many as 275 patients a week are now receiving a diagnostic image, whether an MRI of an arthritic

hip or an abdominal scan.

As part of a COVID-19 recovery strategy, the current backlog of outpatients waiting for diagnostic imaging will be cleared and changes will be made to meet the 60-day standard of providing elective CT and ultrasound services to patients. The diagnostic imaging team is well on its way. During the first month of increased capacity, more than 900 elective patients came off the backlog list.

“The QEII COVID-19 Response Fund is providing a service to patients that is needed,” says Brian Martell, director of diagnostic imaging for Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone. “It’s giving us an opportunity to deal with a major issue.”

A total of 28,000 CT, ultrasound and MRI appointments were cancelled in the months following March 2020, when COVID-19 hit the province. Although urgent and semi-urgent appointments — including cancer care — were not cancelled, the wait times for elective scans increased and remain longer than

they should be.

“It is not just the 28,000 people affected,” Dr. Clarke says. “It is everyone. Everyone is going to keep waiting until we get the backlog cleared.”

The backlog of CT and ultrasound appointments is expected to clear in just over one year, and improvements in access to MRI appointments in the next 14 to 16 months, with the help of additional technologists, clerks and resources.

Timely access to diagnostic imaging is critical for providing the best care to patients, as it not only gives healthcare providers detailed information about structural or disease-related changes in a patient, but also plays a key role in diagnosis. Dr. Clarke says that because early diagnosis can save lives, the need to clear the current backlog is crucial. He is seeing patients show up sicker because of the time they waited to access a diagnostic imaging service.

Bev Barrios, manager of MRI and CT

services, is happy to see the improvements in the system. She knows waiting months for a scan and a diagnosis is stressful.

“The patients are so grateful,” she says.

“They are thankful to staff.”

With funds from the QEII COVID19 Response Fund, the diagnostic imaging team is also working with the organization’s Health Innovation Hub team and data analytics team to create a tool to better-mitigate future wait times.

A new wait time dashboard will allow the team to collect data and book patient appointments more efficiently and tackle wait times more effectively.

Data is being collected and analyzed according to patient conditions, allowing the team to clearly see how long it takes for a patient to move through the healthcare system, from the day a request for a diagnostic imaging exam is made to the day the exam is performed.

“We are getting a better understanding of where the wait times are and what is causing them,” Dr. Clarke says.

Saving seconds, saving lives Donors help bring advanced cardiac crisis training to the QEII

By Sarah Marshall When emergencies happen during cardiac surgery, every second counts. A donorfunded grant will help cardiac teams at the QEII Health Sciences Centre prepare for even the most unexpected and complex emergencies that arise during surgery, saving time and patient lives.

The research project ‘Crisis Management in Advanced Cardiac Care’ received a $38,782 grant through the Maritime Heart Centre Innovation Fund, which awards donor-provided funds to QEII physicians and researchers for innovative, lifechanging initiatives.

Dr. Victor Neira, a cardiac anesthesiologist at the QEII and research lead for ‘Crisis Management in Advanced Cardiac Care,’ explains how this project aims to better prepare healthcare teams to respond to rare, emergency situations that arise during cardiac procedures through a newly developed training process.

“The main purpose is to obtain a highly sophisticated manikin where the entire cardiac team can practice emergency situations that we don’t often experience in everyday practice,” he explains. “The manikin has a simulated beating heart,

vessels, skin and a chest wall, and can circulate artificial blood. This means we can recreate very complex situations, more than just cardiac arrest and CPR, that are usually standard in these types of simulations.”

Dr. Neira explains that the type of manikin the team requires for training will be custom-made and quite costly, so the grant provided by QEII Foundation donors was essential to move the project forward.

“I believe we are one of the first institutions in Canada that will be obtaining this level of technology,” Dr. Neira explains.

“It’s very exciting.”

When the manikin arrives at the QEII in early 2022, cardiac teams will practice a series of different simulated emergencies which will be recorded. Then, debriefing sessions will help the team develop a series of checklists to follow when emergency situations arise with real patients. Checklists help the team co-ordinate management, prioritize tasks and decrease omissions and errors.

“Studies have shown that failure to rescue patients during emergency situations is usually a result of poor

Example of a high-fidelity manikin similar to what the QEII will receive thanks to donor-funded research project ‘Crisis Management in Advanced Cardiac Care’. The new manikin will be custom-made with a pre-closed chest to facilitate realistic emergency cardiac simulations. Contributed

communication and problems with teamwork,” says Dr. Neira. “If we improve communication and have things running smoothly and efficiently, this saves valuable time so that we can correct a critical situation more quickly to improve patient survival.”

Dr. Neira and the entire project team are so grateful for the key piece that is bringing the initiative to life — the incredible generosity of donors.

“On behalf of our whole team, we’re very grateful for the donors who are helping us obtain this level of advanced technology,” Dr. Neira expresses.

“Everyone has just put in so much effort which, ultimately, will lead to better care for our patients.”

“We’re looking forward to receiving the manikin — our QEII teams will be pioneers for this type of advanced simulation in cardiac care in all of Canada.”

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In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Lorri Beatty (left), an emergency physician at the QEII, was appointed to a specialized COVID airway team tasked with training healthcare teams across Nova Scotia.

Dr. Luke Marshall (right), an emergency physician at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro, N.S., took part in that training. Dr. James Gould/Contributed

Staying nimble, staying safe How healthcare teams adapted protocols, completed training in the face of COVID-19

By Colleen Cosgrove Checklists, standard procedures and teamwork go hand-in-hand with the smooth delivery of health care, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put a

whole new spin on what it means to stay consistent and work together.

When it became apparent in March 2020 that COVID-19 was infecting

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Atlantic Canadians, healthcare teams from the QEII Health Sciences Centre and across the province came together with a singular focus in mind — to adapt routine procedures to keep themselves safe and care for those who need it most.

As images of breathless patients being intubated in New York and Italy spread across the globe, Dr. Lorri Beatty’s team zeroed in on the QEII’s standard airway management procedures. It was clear the coronavirus was attacking respiratory systems and that a new danger for emergency and critical care teams had emerged.

“I remember it being a really scary time,” says Dr. Beatty. “We were hearing about hospitals running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the volume of patients being intubated everyday was pretty scary. It was at a time when we still didn’t have enough experience to have full confidence that protocols and PPE would protect us.”

With the clock ticking and the need to keep those working on the frontlines healthy, the QEII team moved quickly.

Dr. Beatty was appointed to a specialized COVID airway team tasked with training healthcare teams across Nova Scotia, with the primary intent of the protocol being to minimize the spread of the virus.

On March 19, 2020, Dr. Beatty presented the newly developed COVID airway protocol to a packed room at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre.

Within a matter of days, the first COVIDpositive patient who required intubation presented at the hospital.

Truro emergency physician Dr. Luke Marshall says the standardized protocols and hands-on learning gave the team the confidence they needed to work together in the face of fear and uncertainty.

“Everything was moving pretty quickly, and everybody was pretty nervous,” says Dr. Marshall. “But we took pictures, we wrote things down to make sure we had all the stuff we needed to be able to work safely and follow the new protocols.”

With a highly transmissible virus like COVID-19, intubating patients is a highrisk procedure for healthcare providers and the more interventions required, the higher the chances of being exposed to the virus.

Much like how it’s recommended we wash our hands in a methodical way for a set period, healthcare teams learned, stepby-step — like when to turn off oxygen flows before inserting a breathing tube — what they needed to do every time to stay safe. It was standing room only during the first training sessions. Staff wanted to

help, they were craving local information and they wanted to better understand what resources they had access to, says Dr. Beatty.

Training was conducted at healthcare sites across the province, giving physicians, nurses and paramedics opportunities to practise using the new airway tools and procedures both on manikins and, for some, with clinical-grade cadavers.

This hands-on practice allowed teams to troubleshoot and disclose their fears.

“We arrived with strong messaging that people need to make sure their safety is priority because if we have an emergency department full of nurses, paramedics, physicians and providers who all become sick with COVID, there will be no one to take care of anybody else,” says Dr. Beatty.

In addition to keeping frontline workers safe, the COVID airway protocol has also improved safety for patients and healthcare teams who, in many cases, proceeded as though any patient needing airway care may be infected with COVID-19.

“With everyone trained, doing the same thing the same way, we can switch people in and out and everyone is more comfortable and familiar with the strategy,” says Dr. Beatty.

The training was a unifying experience that brought together healthcare professionals across roles and specialties. With so many teams embracing the standardized approach, Dr. Beatty also expects to see expanded checklists for additional critical procedures.

“Now that we’ve had clear success with using checklists and protocols for COVID airway patients, I can see this protocolized type of case expanding to other areas of care and resuscitation of critically ill patients in the emergency department.”

While there are three simulation facilities at the QEII to help healthcare learners and practitioners develop and refine their skills in a safe environment, the Truro team’s experience with simulated training sparked a renewed interest in hands-on learning at the hospital. Dr. Marshall is part of a group developing a dedicated simulated training environment at the hospital.

“It’s been a really great time to be doing medicine because of all these initiatives,” he says. “COVID has been really tough and anxiety-provoking and stressful, but I think some good is going to come out of it.”

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Dr. Martin Corsten (left), QEII head and neck surgeon, and Tony Blinkhorn (right), surgical robotics coordinator, are part of a team responsible for robot-assisted head and neck surgeries at the QEII. The da Vinci robot, Atlantic Canada’s first surgical robot, was made possible by a $8.1-million initiative, funded entirely by QEII Foundation donors. Contributed/Mike Tompkins

Precision incisions Robotics technology enhances ENT surgeries

By Joey Fitzpatrick Jeannine Crenian remembers entering the operating room at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and meeting all of the members of the surgical team. It was June 10, 2021 and she was about to undergo surgery to remove cancerous tumours from her neck.

“All the team members introduced themselves — the anesthesiologists, the nurses and the pathologist — and explained their roles,” she recalls.

“They were all really comforting and very professional.”

She was also introduced to da Vinci, Atlantic Canada’s first surgical robot, who would assist Dr. Martin Corsten, QEII head and neck surgeon, in the procedure.

“The team did such a good job,” she recalls. “They found the primary tumour, so I didn’t need to have chemotherapy or radiation.”

Even the most gifted surgeon is limited by the size and mobility of the human hand. The da Vinci robot’s thin mechanical arms — four in total and equipped with a camera — can go where a surgeon’s hands cannot. For head and neck surgery, only three of these robotic arms are used, which Dr. Corsten controls from a nearby console.

“If we can find the primary tumour and remove it with clear margins, the patient usually doesn’t require any radiation therapy,” Dr. Corsten explains.

Atlantic Canada’s first surgical robotics technology was introduced at the QEII in February 2019, and was made possible by a $8.1-million initiative, funded entirely

by QEII Foundation donors. The da Vinci robot was first put into service in urology, followed by gynecologic oncology in March 2019.

In December 2020, the robotics program was expanded to include otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and, since that time, Dr. Corsten has performed approximately 15 robot-assisted operations.

Otolaryngology is particularly wellsuited to this technology. Removing a tumour is always a delicate procedure, but tumours located at the base of the tongue and tonsil area present additional challenges.

“These tumours are tucked away ‘around a corner,’ which makes lineof-sight surgery difficult,” Dr. Corsten explains. “Now I can put in a scope that can look up and around that corner, and the robotic arms can operate on the tongue base as if it were right in front of me. This allows me to perform the surgery with improved precision.”

This increased precision and greater magnification results in less bleeding, fewer complications and quicker recoveries for patients.

“Without this increased magnification, a surgeon might cut through a blood vessel

and cause bleeding,” Dr. Corsten says.

“Now I am able to see the blood vessel in advance, and we can put clips on to prevent bleeding from happening.”

The improved precision comes from the surgeon being able to scale their movements. If the surgeon’s hand moves two centimeters, the robotic arm — with multiple joints providing a far greater range of motion than a human’s — moves just one-third that distance.

Tony Blinkhorn, surgical robotics coordinator at the QEII, probably has more contact with the da Vinci robot than anyone else. He says the experience gained through the urologic and gynecological procedures enabled a seamless transition into ENT surgery.

“With all three services combined, I think we’re approaching 500 cases in total,” Blinkhorn says. “We’ve got some excellent institutional knowledge built up.”

The two standard options for treating oropharyngeal cancers are radiation or surgery, Dr. Corsten explains. “They are both effective, but there are some real advantages to surgery.”

One consideration is that radiation can be used on a particular part of the body just once in a lifetime. Another is that while the side effects of surgery are apparent immediately but improve over time, radiation therapy often does the reverse.

If we can find the primary tumour and remove it with clear margins, the patient usually doesn’t require any radiation therapy.

— Dr. Martin Corsten “Radiation tends to have more complications that happen later on,” Dr. Corsten says. “As well, surgery is generally less costly to the healthcare system than radiation, and is performed in one day, while radiation typically requires 33 separate treatments over a number of weeks.”

Having da Vinci in action as part of its surgical robotics offering also helps the QEII teach and recruit talented surgeons, Dr. Corsten adds.

“Teaching surgery can be hard, because you either do it, or you let them do it,” he says. “Now I can have a resident or fellow working on a console beside me. We both have the magnified view, so I can watch what they’re doing, and I’m able to take back control at any time.”

“When we interview medical students who are looking for a residency program, or fellows for a fellowship program, they almost always ask about robotics surgery.

It’s so much easier to recruit now that we have a robotics program up and running.”

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Civilian scientist and kidney cancer survivor Warren Connors has created the ‘A Pint of Robotics’ presentation series to raise awareness of this ground-breaking robotics research and innovation happening in the region, and to raise funds to support it at the QEII. Mike Tompkins

A Pint of Robotics Scientist holds social fundraiser for surgical robotics research

By Joey Fitzpatrick The degree to which Halifax has become a hub for robotics innovation might come as a surprise to many. It even surprised someone who’s immersed in robotics innovation.

As a civilian scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada, Warren Connors spends his working hours developing robotic systems to deal with underwater threats like naval mines.

“My background is in autonomous robotics — looking at how robots can use their sensors to understand some of the world around them and make their own decisions based on the constraints they’re given,” Warren explains.

It was in November 2019, early on a Saturday morning, in the Halifax home he shares with his wife Amy that Warren woke up in severe pain.

“This wasn’t a general ache,” he recalls.

“This was, ‘I need to go to the hospital right now,’ kind of pain.”

While his initial hunch was kidney stones, a CT scan revealed a much more serious diagnosis: each kidney contained a large cancerous mass. It was in the midst of this incredibly stressful day that a surgeon at the QEII Health Sciences Centre raised the possibility of robotics surgery.

“They told me about the advanced capabilities they had, and I was intrigued because I’m a robotics guy,” he says.

Warren soon underwent two surgical procedures performed by Dr. Ricardo Rendon, who was assisted by the da Vinci robot. The surgical robot, funded entirely

by QEII Foundation donors, is a gamechanger for patients like Warren facing a cancer diagnosis.

Following this first surgery, Warren was up and moving around later that same night.

“That was after removing two-thirds of my left kidney,” Warren says. “I went home after just three days. It was really amazing.”

Five weeks after the first operation, he had surgery on his right kidney, and this time his hospital stay was just two nights.

Two weeks after that, Warren was back at work. His kidneys are working fine, and he’s resumed his regular life.

“I was only 43 and Dr. Rendon was thinking about my future quality of life, which I really appreciated,” Warren says. “I went from the worst day of my life to going back to work, like nothing happened, 10 weeks later.”

Warren was moved by the quality of care he received at the QEII and the generosity of donors to the QEII

Foundation that made surgical robotics technology possible.

“When I learned that this entire program is funded by ordinary people here in Nova Scotia, it felt incredibly humbling for myself and Amy. People who I had never met made donations that changed my life.”

This gratitude, and the desire to raise awareness of the robotics innovations in the region, became the genesis for the ‘A Pint of Robotics’ presentation series.

In October 2021, casual presentations at The Carleton were held to both raise awareness of the ground-breaking robotics research and innovation happening in the region, and to raise funds to support robotics innovation at the QEII. “It was a chance for people to come out and socialize, have a drink and hear about some really cool science that’s happening in their backyard,” Warren says.

Scientists and researchers from a range of disciplines made presentations over the course of three nights. Admission was free, but audience members were asked to make a meaningful contribution and join the community of donors who make robotics at the QEII possible. To date, the event has raised more than $5,700.

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from the deep sea to outer space, the scope of robotics innovation taking place in Halifax is vast. It includes the QEII Foundation’s latest $2.5-million campaign to fund another surgical robot for the QEII, this time for orthopaedic surgeries.

Through these presentations, Warren wants to raise awareness both among the general public and with others working in specific areas of robotics research.

“As I spoke with Dr. Rendon and others, I became aware that we often don’t know what other groups are up to,” Warren says.

“It’s very easy to stay on our own little roads — when I go to sonar and deep-sea robotics conferences, I’m not running into many people in the medical field.”

As within his own field of research, Warren says, surgical robotics will amplify and improve — but not replace — the expertise of human professionals. By being both less invasive and more precise, robotic systems can produce surgical outcomes that involve less bleeding, fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.

“The precision, stamina and capability that come with a robotic system amplify the capabilities of a good surgeon.”

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Dr. Christine Herman (left), QEII cardiac and vascular surgeon, and Dr. Greg Hirsch (right), QEII cardiac surgeon, both say the thoracic aortic aneurysm research funded by the late Peter Kohler and his $1-million gift has the potential to transform the future diagnosis and treatment of this silent disease. QEII Foundation

Unlocking the genetic clues behind thoracic aortic aneurysms A $1-million donation ignites critical heart health research

By Nicole Topple The late Peter Kohler was a champion of many philanthropic causes in our region, including heart health at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. A co-founder of Kohltech Windows and Entrance Systems, Peter’s commitment to giving back to his community ran deep, as he wanted to support the care and research provided by the same heart health teams that cared for himself and his family.

When asked to describe the business legend and heart health supporter, his cardiac surgeon, Dr. Greg Hirsch, had a simple answer. “Peter created impact and he wanted to change the world.”

Nowhere is that more evident than in the new, cutting-edge initiative ignited

by Peter’s support — a $1-million gift for thoracic aortic aneurysm research that he arranged before his passing in 2019.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms, or TAAs, are known as a silent disease. With few warning signs or symptoms, they are often discovered by accident when patients are undergoing tests and scans for other conditions.

A TAA is a weakened area in the wall of the aorta, which is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This weakness causes a dilation (or bulging) within the chest area. Depending on its size and location, a TAA may rupture or tear, causing lifethreatening internal bleeding or sudden death.

“For those whose TAAs are detected,

care teams often rely on a ‘watchful waiting’ approach, where they closely monitor the shape and size of a patient’s aneurysm to determine if surgery is required,” says Dr. Christine Herman, QEII cardiac and vascular surgeon and research lead of the $1-million initiative.

Treatment options are few, limited to either slowing the progression of TAA growth with aggressive blood pressure management or open-heart surgery to prevent rupture, which often comes with significant risks for the patient.

“Monitoring is really the only tool available in our arsenal to help prevent a highly fatal event,” says Dr. Herman. “But even then, we don’t know the factors that influence what and when TAAs rupture and tear.”

The critical TAA research funding provided by Peter and the Kohler family aims to change that. Armed with the family’s generous support, a newly established research team — including the QEII’s Dr. Christine Herman, Dr. Kishore Pasumarthi, Dr. Jeremy Wood, Dr. John Sullivan and more — are on a mission to investigate the genetic clues behind TAAs. The goal of this novel research is to help identify genetic biomarkers (or signs) to detect TAAs earlier, better predict TAAs and their disease progression and, ultimately, identify new treatment options.

According to Dr. Hirsch, the multi-year project at its heart aims to “make some progress towards understanding TAAs,

determine if we can halt the progression of these aneurysms, stabilize them and, perhaps most importantly, know when and whether to intervene with surgery.”

For the research team, they hope some of these answers lie within a patient’s genetics. A critical component of this work will involve analyzing aortic tissue samples from Nova Scotians living with TAA at various stages of their disease and comparing it against samples from healthy subjects.

TAAs are incredibly complex and, todate, there have been limited research efforts and funding across Canada dedicated to their diagnosis and progression. As part of this leading-edge research, the QEII team will collaborate with TAA experts at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and New Brunswick Heart Centre to hone in on this silent disease at a national level.

“Research starts with asking the tough questions,” says Dr. Hirsch. “And whether we’re ultimately able to prove our initial predictions or not, the ability to investigate the answers with dedicated research funding and a collaborative team of clinicians, scientists and students is massively important.”

For Dr. Herman, the importance and potential impact of this research cannot be understated.

“Between our Maritime Connective Tissue Clinic and the Aortic Clinic, we see thousands of Maritimers living with TAAs

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and their loved ones who we’re actively screening, as it can run in families,” says Dr. Herman. “If the aneurysm ruptures, it can be deadly, so the anxiety felt and experienced by families affected by this condition can be incredibly high.”

Nova Scotia data suggests that almost 50 per cent of patients with TAA rupture or dissection will die before they reach the operating room. With no available cure and the incidence of TAA on the rise, now more than ever, research is paramount.

“There’s no question that this research wouldn’t be happening — or possible — without Peter and the Kohler’s family support,” says Dr. Hirsch. “It’s the first step to uncovering whether we can improve the diagnosis and treatment for future patients.”

It’s this future impact that Susan Mullin, president and CEO of the QEII Foundation, finds so inspiring. For nearly two decades, Peter supported many care areas across the QEII with an emphasis on cardiac and vascular care — a specialty close to his heart.

“As part of Peter’s legacy, his vision for TAA research will have a profound impact on patients in the long term,” says Susan. “His generosity ignites the ability to conduct research that truly leads the country and could, one day, inspire legendary changes to how our teams care for those facing a TAA diagnosis.”

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Donors support Halifax newcomers Donor support funds children’s books, grocery cards for Newcomer Health Clinic patients

By Natalie Jarvis Imagine moving to a place where you don’t speak the language. Slowly, your native language — words that previously marked every important moment in your life — would begin to fade. This process, called language attrition, is something Nova Scotia newcomers experience every day.

“Language and culture are deeply connected,” says Amy Legate, a registered nurse at Halifax’s Newcomer Health Clinic. “This is one reason language attrition may be a concern for many families. Specifically, if children lose the connection to their first language, they may also lose a connection to their family’s heritage.”

For three years, the Newcomer Health Clinic has collaborated with the speechlanguage pathology faculty at Dalhousie University’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as the North End Community Health Centre, where dental hygienists offer comprehensive health assessments for preschool-aged children. Amy applied for a Comfort and Care grant because of this partnership.

As at-home reading supports the development of vocabulary, narrative and emergent literacy skills, the speechlanguage pathology team identified potential challenges to be faced if parents did not have books in their first language.

Donors who support QEII Foundation Comfort and Care grants are making a difference for these families, in ways they could not fully appreciate at the time of their donation. The smallest gesture — like offering a book in a child’s first language — can be profound.

“These grants create opportunities to connect with patients. These books promote reading at home,” Amy says.

“Families are excited to see books in their

Amy Legate, registered nurse (left), and Dr. Christine Campbell (right) are part of the team at Newcomer Health Clinic. The clinic, a recipient of QEII Foundation Comfort & Care and Patient Essentials Fund grants, provides integrated, comprehensive, culturally and language appropriate primary and preventive health services for refugees and their families during their initial integration in the Halifax area. QEII Foundation

first language and are very enthusiastic about sharing the stories with their children.”

Amy sees firsthand the joy that these books bring to patients and families — and even some of her peers.

“One of my colleagues was surprised and excited to see these books in her first language, and immediately asked where we got the book,” she says.

Created in 2014, the Newcomer Health Clinic has grown from four physicians providing care for refugees using donated resources to what it is today, a partnership of the Primary Health Care and Public Health departments of Nova Scotia Health, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), Halifax Refugee Clinic, and local family physicians.

NHC collaborates with the mutual goal of providing integrated, comprehensive,

While these passionate individuals do everything they can to help their patients,

So many of the families we serve face incredible financial challenges. After paying rent, there’s often very little money left for other expenses.

– Dr. Tim Holland

donations help bridge the gaps they encounter with limited hospital budgets.

Most recently, the clinic was awarded a QEII Patient Essentials Fund grant. These grants fund gift cards for everyday items, like groceries.

“So many of the families we serve face incredible financial challenges.

After paying rent, there’s often very little money left for other expenses,” says

culturally and language-appropriate primary and preventive health services for refugees and their families during their initial integration in the Halifax area. This multidisciplinary group of professionals helps new Nova Scotians feel at home and get connected to primary care providers.

Dr. Tim Holland, medical director of the clinic. “Many of our patients have to face the difficult decision of having to pay for their medications or groceries. These gift cards can provide some relief on those difficult decisions. We’re so incredibly appreciative.”

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We are actively recruiting volunteers to help out with our radio station, NWBC. If you love music and are interested in entertaining our aging community, we want to hear from you!

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