Every day our people at Sinai Health are doing extraordinary things. Captured Caring is a series featuring submissions from our people to provide you with inspiration and encouragement as we care for patients and each other. Have your own story or photo to share? Submit it here.
“Decisions to be admitted to palliative care are difficult enough and since March, patients have had to accept that at end of life they will have limited interactions with family and friends. As part of Bridgepoint’s Palliative Care Program, 10N and 9N teams are extraordinarily sensitive to the impact this has on patients and demonstrated a moment of inspiration on October 15. The teams worked to assemble a Thanksgiving lunch for patients and gave them a small sense of family by safely bringing them together to share the meal.
Thank you 9N/10N Palliative Care Team!!! YOU ROCK!”
Submitted by: Susanne Loay, Patient Care Manager and Dr. Jeff Myers, Palliative Care Lead, Bridgepoint
“On November 6, with the weather being mild at 20 degrees and sunny, members of the 14 North team, including Inderjit (Indi) Singh, RN (second from the left), brought one of our patients to the entrance of the hospital for sunshine and fresh air after being hospitalized for 252 days. It was a true example of collaboration and team work! According to nurse Indi, “It was worth all the effort.”
Submitted by: Akua Yirenkyi, Nursing Unit Administrator, Mount Sinai
“November 1 to 7 was Pain Awareness Week. The Pain Management Clinic at Sinai Health is involved in a number of exciting programs. Our inpatient consult services manage complex pain issues. We have a Transitional Pain Service optimizing post-operative pain and assistance with tapering of opioids, which has recently extended services to our Bridgepoint site. We also have a Pain in Pregnancy program and a Chronic Pain Service offering both inpatient and outpatient consults. Our Breast Pain Program has been developed to provide pain management for patients with breast pain, with a focus on persistent pain after breast cancer surgery. Finally, we have recently launched an interventional pain program where we are able to provide advanced ultrasound- or fluoroscopic-guided interventional therapies for patients with acute or chronic pain.”
Submitted by: Leah Pink, Nurse Practitioner, Pain Management Clinic, Mount Sinai
“November 8 to 14 is Nurse Practitioner Week. Proudly, I have been a nurse practitioner since 2001; and joined Sinai Health in 2018 as the inaugural Nurse Practitioner, Academic and Clinical Lead, Wound Care. I recently defended my thesis in the PhD program at the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing at McMaster University. My goal is to build capacity and promote consistent use of best practices for prevention and treatment of people with acute and chronic wounds, including pressure injuries, surgical wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, cancer-related wounds and other complex and rare wound related issues.
Part of my role is to conduct research in wound prevention and treatment. My evolving research program aims to study innovative ways to treat some of our most complex patient issues aligned with our Science of Care research and innovation platform. I am currently working with the Business Innovation and Development portfolio to explore the use of biological agents to treat difficult to heal wounds.
It has been a challenging, but exciting time at Sinai Health. This pandemic is reminding us about the importance of the fundamentals of care and of patient and employee safety. During this challenging time, we have successfully replaced each ICU bed feet and are about to replace all medical surgical beds with state of the art frames and mattresses. A definite step in the right direction.”
Submitted by: Laura Teague, Nurse Practitioner, Academic and Clinical Lead, Wound Care, Mount Sinai
“November 8 to 14, is Perioperative Nurses Week! Perioperative Registered Nurses, or Operating Room (OR) Nurses, practice according to the Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada’s (ORNAC) Standards which are evidence-informed and focus on ensuring a safe perioperative environment and experience for our patients and our colleagues. We pride ourselves on being our patients’ advocates during their perioperative journey.”
Submitted by: Erin Robertson, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Perioperative Services, Mount Sinai