Our Connection: Spring 2020

An Internal Publication for St. Joseph’s Health Care London ISSUE 02

Debra Medzon, a speech-language pathologist at Parkwood Institute, engages a patient and caregiver in virtual therapy using the Ontario Telemedicine Network.

FEATURE STORY

Virtual care here to stay Teams across St. Joseph’s are rapidly and creatively taking advantage of what they see as the COVID-19 silver lining – the impetus to fast forward and more optimally capture the benefits of virtual or remote patient care.

In April, a staggering 50-60 percent of all registered visits at St. Joseph’s were virtual. The daily average is currently about 1,000 virtual visits a day. For a fulsome story on this work, as well as numerous highlights of how programs and clinics are providing virtual care, see St. Joseph’s website.

to engage patients and clinicians in planning and how we evolve and adapt to this new way of providing service to some patient populations.“

“The organization is just at the beginning of this journey”, says Glen Kearns, Integrated Vice President, Diagnostic Services and Chief Information Officer. “We will continue

Building upon what has been learned from the speedy implementation during the urgency of the pandemic, there are important next steps underway at St. Joseph’s.

Guiding the next phase of our work As we navigate this next phase of a gradual reintroduction of services, we must remain nimble, proactive and innovative. We have to be bold in our approach to new ways of working together, serving those in our care and strengthening the tested and true practices that are the foundation of who we are and what we do. Your leadership, tenacity and fortitude is needed now more than ever as we define what living with COVID-19 means for our organization, our community and those we serve.

“This continues to be a challenging and complex time for our organization and health care system and I am immensely proud of the dedication and resiliency of our staff and physicians, who continue to live and nurture our values of respect, excellence and compassion.”

DR. GILLIAN KERNAGHAN PRESIDENT AND CEO ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH CARE LONDON

A Redesign and Reintroduction Team will guide the next phase of our work. As a temporary working group of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), this team will report directly to SLT, advise on how to move forward with emerging priorities that have developed in response to the pandemic, and ensure alignment with existing structures including Directors Council, Leadership Councils, MAC, OpNet, and our patient and family councils. While we will be in a state of response and recovery for some time to come, this is also a unique opportunity to reposition, redesign and embrace the silver linings that have emerged during this pandemic. As is the St. Joseph’s way, we will do so with courage, compassion and togetherness.

Thank you for all you do in service to each other and our patients and residents.

FEATURE STORY (continued)

AMONG KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING ARE: • Integration strategies of virtual technologies with other clinical stakeholders across the South West region - primary care, other agencies, other hospitals • Patients’ comfort with, and access to, virtual technologies • Continuity of care - how various communication systems interact with patient health information systems (electronic health record), follow up care, and the sharing of care plans among team members and with patient and family members • Privacy and cyber security • Education and support for health care providers, patients and family caregivers • Research to better understand the benefits of virtual care and potential limitations

“Whether virtual care is a fit for a patient is less about the patient’s diagnosis but more about care needs, level of acuity and complexity.”

Dr. Sarah Jarmain Co-Chair of St. Joseph’s Quality Council and a member of the team implementing virtual care across St. Joseph’s.

Registered nurse Patrizia Travis engages youths in a virtual mental health therapy session at St. Joseph’s using a secure and hospital supported WebEx platform.

Care and compassion bridges distance and space Patients at St. Joseph’s appreciate powering up and tuning in to connect with their care teams through virtual technologies. Here’s a snap shot of teams using virtual care to connect with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

St. Joseph’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Program - some COPD patients are also taking part in a group virtual exercise program by WebEx, with the patients and rehabilitation trainers interacting from their own homes and the medical team supervising from St. Joseph’s Hospital to ensure patient safety.

enable us to continue providing high quality and tailored treatments to youth in need of these complex services.”

St. Joseph’s stroke outpatient rehabilitation programs - the Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team and Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Programs are visiting patients and their caregivers over video conferencing.

“All of this has kept me out of the emergency department at this time,” says John. “I would like to see virtual care continued big time.

It’s very important for people of my age.

They stumbled upon something extremely good and efficient. I see nothing but positives.”

— JOHN HODGKINSON, PATIENT

Adolescent Outreach Psychiatry Outpatient Program - youth in St. Joseph’s Adolescent Outreach Psychiatry Program are receiving vital Dialectical Behavioral Therapy sessions virtually through the use of WebEx. “It’s important that we found a way to continue this therapy to an already vulnerable population during a time when many are feeling anxious and isolated,” says Jordan McCormick, social worker in the Adolescent Outreach Psychiatry Outpatient Program. “The virtual therapy sessions

“It’s been a virtual lifeline,” says Janet Jenkinson, caregiver and wife of patient receiving virtual care from the Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team.

“If I was the sole caregiver to help Robert with his speech, the outcome may have been quite different.

We are very grateful.”

Making resiliency and mental wellness a priority St. Joseph’s mission emphasizes caring for the wholeness of each person—body, mind and spirit.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (PHSW) working group at St. Joseph’s has supported the well-being of staff and physicians, with a keen focus on both resiliency and mental health during this challenging time.

“It is intended that resources that build the caring and resilience of our workforce are being integrated into the fabric of St. Joseph’s,” says Deb Miller, PHSW working group chair. “COVID-19 provided a burning platform for the importance of psychological health and safety in the workplace. Our continued focus on this will enable us to fulfill our vision and our mission.”

Resources to help staff and physicians build resiliency and focus on their mental health during the pandemic are located on the intranet and communicated via E-Connect.

RESILIENCY AND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES INCLUDE: • Sustaining hope menu - provides evidencebased strategies for individuals, leaders and teams to consider as they strive to bolster their resilience in this ever changing and challenging time • Weekly resiliency videos - tips from members of the PHSW working group • ‘Going Home Checklist’ - a visual cue for staff to pause and reflect on the day before heading home

Behind The Mask The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we provide care and live our lives, yet St. Joseph’s continues to provide exceptional care during a time of uncertainty.

During this crisis, health care workers across the globe have donned a mask to protect those they care for - and each other. The mask however, covers faces, expressions and emotions.

We want to help the community see the people Behind The Mask at St. Joseph’s.

In June, St. Joseph’s is launching a social media campaign that will tell the stories of our health care workers from all different roles and disciplines.

Join our community as we take a glimpse into the vast and varied lives of the people who work at St. Joseph’s, and how they are coping professionally and personally with one of the greatest health care challenges of our time.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK OR STORY WITH US St. Joseph’s Health Care London ComDept@sjhc.london.on.ca