Please see below for the following updates:

• Message from the Chair of Unity Health Toronto’s Board of Directors
• A personal message from Tim Rutledge, President and CEO
• Ontario Stroke Report FY 2022/23 Release, Ontario Health (CorHealth) - SMH was #1 in the province for time to thrombolysis!
• Guidance for Epic/EPR Research User Training
• Department of Medicine - Medical Grand Rounds - Clinical Documentation - Melanie de Wit - Oct. 2. 2024
• UT Department of Medicine - Internal Medicine Research Scholarly Projects
• Changes to St. Michael’s site parking: Sign up for IPASS to keep your rates the same
• Angels Den 2024

Please see the following message on behalf of Nora Aufreiter, Chair, Unity Health Toronto’s Board of Directors

After more than six years of remarkable leadership through a transformational period in Unity Health Toronto’s history, Dr. Tim Rutledge has made the decision to retire from his role as our network’s inaugural President and CEO.

Tim has been a pivotal figure in shaping Unity Health, overseeing the formation of our integrated network, naming and branding the organization, and leading the development and implementation of our first strategic plan. The plan has set a vision that continues to unify us in creating the best care experiences together. His leadership was particularly crucial during the COVID-19 global pandemic, guiding us through one of the most challenging times the healthcare sector has ever faced.

Tim’s tenure is marked by his unwavering dedication to equity and diversity. He has passionately championed initiatives that ensure every patient, staff, physician, trainee and community member feels valued and respected. Under his leadership, Unity Health has adopted policies, practices and education programs that foster inclusivity and address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. His commitment to creating a more equitable healthcare environment has strengthened our community and set a standard for compassionate and inclusive care.

Our strategy has been profoundly relevant as we navigate an evolving healthcare system, guided by our mission and values, and focused on optimizing Unity Health’s role in providing excellent, efficient and integrated care experiences for all. Thanks to Tim’s leadership, Unity Health is well positioned to continue to lead system transformation and have a broader impact through our research, education and innovation.

On the behalf of myself and our Board of Directors, I want to extend our deepest thanks to Tim for charting our course and creating a foundation built on values-based leadership, a continuous pursuit of quality and leading innovations in healthcare, and always thinking about what is right for our patients and their families first. These will be legacy impacts in our organization’s vision that will be felt for years to come.

The Board of Directors has begun the process to initiate a broad search for our future CEO and Tim will continue in his current capacity to support a smooth transition. We anticipate this process will run until late Spring 2025 and we will continue to share updates in the months ahead.

Nora Aufreiter

Chair of the Board of Directors

Unity Health Toronto

Dear Unity Health Colleagues,

After much reflection, I have made the personal decision to retire from my role as President and CEO of Unity Health Toronto in 2025. By then, it will be seven years in what has been one of the most fulfilling chapters in my career.

It has been an immense privilege to serve in healthcare for nearly 40 years, including 25 years of emergency medicine and a spectrum of educational and leadership roles. The time feels right for me personally, with a growing family that includes five grandchildren (so far!). It also feels right for Unity Health. As we look to shape the next evolution of our strategy, it’s only fitting that this work is guided by the next CEO.

Serving as Unity Health’s inaugural President and CEO has been a true honour. We have accomplished so much together. We have brought three great hospitals and 12 satellite sites together as one network, and named it Unity Health Toronto! We’ve advanced our first strategic plan that remains as relevant today as when it was initially drafted. We’ve made it a priority to address anti-racism, health equity and social accountability, and are investing in learning and foundational programs to continually work on making Unity Health a welcoming and inclusive place for all.

Unity Health is also at the forefront of global health research, innovation and education. We’re leading in cutting-edge specialty programs and breaking new ground in health AI, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

I am so proud of what we are accomplishing together, and am continually inspired by the dedication and compassionate care delivered by our frontline teams and the incredible support staff who make it all possible. Our strength is our people, and your commitment to our mission and values is what makes Unity Health stand out.

I am very much looking forward to the work ahead, and fully committed to continuing in this role to support a smooth transition in leadership of this great organization. We have lots of important work to do over the coming months, including implementing the largest clinical transformation project we’ve done together as Unity Health.

While we still have lots of time together, I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to each and every one of you on “Team Unity Health.” I look forward to connecting in more personal ways in the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Tim

Tim Rutledge
President and CEO
Unity Health Toronto

Ontario Health (CorHealth) recently released their annual Ontario Stroke Report for the 2022/23 fiscal year, and we are thrilled to share that St. Michael’s Hospital holds the best door-to-needle time for thrombolytic therapy administration in the province. We are one of only two centres in Ontario to surpass the provincial target time. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our entire stroke team – from our medical staff and learners, to our Nurse Practitioners and Allied Health specialists.

This success was made possible through strong collaboration and support across the hospital. Our Nurse Practitioners and medical staff led Quality Improvement initiatives that were key in driving progress, with help and input from our Emergency Department and CT teams. This was truly a team effort! Special recognition also goes to those on-call, often staying in-house overnight, who consistently provided fast, effective assessments and treatments without compromising on the training and development of our learners. These efforts further solidify St. Michael’s as the top neurology teaching site in Toronto.

This accomplishment directly impacts the lives of our patients and enhances our institutional reputation. Everyone involved should be extremely proud. Congratulations to all for this outstanding achievement!

***Please disregard this message if you/your team do not intend to interact with Epic (UHT’s new electronic patient record system)***

 

Dear Colleagues,

While we have made significant headway in Epic training for research, we wanted to provide you with clarity for those that are seeking any further guidance on if and what type of training is required.

If you will not interact with the EPR at all e.g., animal researcher, you will require no training.

If you will interact with the EPR:

• Option 1: You will not be documenting in the EPR requiring view only access e.g., retrospective chart reviews à sign up for Research Viewer course. This course is self-paced and online. You can sign up via https://elevate.unityhealth.to/learn & search for “Research Viewer”.
• Option 2: You will be documenting in the EPR e.g., enter data into smart forms, associate patients to studies, review/document adverse events, place orders, receive admissions notifications…etc. à sign up for Research Coordinator course (instructions attached). This course is in-person delivered by a trainer at SMH/SJHC and is a half-day session. You should be already enrolled as pre-identified by the organization.
  • If so, please schedule (ASAP) a time to attend the in-person training via  https://elevate.unityhealth.to/learn. Review the attached PDF for how to select the date of the class.
  • If you do not see yourself enrolled in Elevate, but require this course for your work, please submit an IT ticket via ServiceNow so that the Education Team can log the issue.

This course is mandatory for staff that will be interacting with the EPR for studies that are regulated clinical trials.

Failure to complete these courses in advance of go-live may result in disruptions to study activities. Please take a moment to review this information.

Thank you,

Mani

Mani Kang, MBA, MSc, PMP

Senior Director, Research Operations

Unity Health Toronto

 

 

“Clinical Documentation: Medicolegal Considerations in the Age of Patient Portals”

Speaker: Melanie de Wit, JD MPH

Chief Legal Officer

Unity Health Toronto

 

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST

Online via Zoom

Note: Melanie is accepting specific questions you might have about clinical documentation.  She is more than happy to address them during her upcoming session.

Please submit your questions to:  [email protected]  by Monday, September 30^th.  

Please find information and the link for the 2024/25 IM Scholarly Projects

• 2024-2025 internal medicine research/scholarly projects - over 70 PGY1s require project supervisor
• Timeline: project/supervisor selection Dec 2024, project submission Jan 2025
• DoM faculty can complete an online indication of interest in supervising resident, which residents can view and respond to faculty via email.
• Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7CC2SL9
• Residents complete statement (name, email, speciality areas of research interest) which will be forwarded to Division heads for circulation to their faculty
• This initiative aims to increase ease of residents identifying potential supervisors and IS NOT A FORMAL MATCH process

To manage costs and maintain the quality of our parking facilities, we will be increasing St. Michael’s parking rates at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute garage effective Nov. 1, 2024. In order to keep paying the current parking rate of $20.50 at St. Michael’s past November 1, staff can sign up for IPASS pay-as-you-go by following the directions below. With this system, your hospital ID badge is connected to your credit card for automatic payments and you will be able to continue paying the current rates.  The IPASS program is already in place at St. Joseph’s and Providence sites.

Non-IPASS users will see an increase of $2.50 starting on Nov. 1. The new rates will help support necessary improvements and ensure the continued safety and convenience of our parking services. Staff have an option to keep paying the current rates by signing up for the IPASS Pay-As-You-Go system.

Please sign up for our IPASS system here using your St. Michael’s issued identification access card. You will need the 5 digits that are located on the back of the card.

Please Note: Staff are only eligible to sign up for either day OR overnight parking with their ID badge.

If you have any questions or need assistance signing up, please reach out to the UHT Parking team at [email protected]

 

The DOM has 9 free tickets to give away for this year’s Angels Den!

www.angelsden.ca

The event will be held on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West.

5:00 PM – Doors Open for the Science Fair

6:00 PM – The Competition Begins

7:45 PM – Celebratory Reception

Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis – please email Jessica Comilang if you would like 1 or 2 tickets. Tickets will be sent by email 1-2 days before the event.

Appointed SMH Researchers: please note you can access tickets directly outside of this offer by emailing Eka Nasution at [email protected]