Sinai Health was created five years ago to better support people in the health care system. For our fifth anniversary we’ve gathered five perspectives from people who have benefitted from this shared vision.
“I couldn’t have asked for more”
“I was brought to the Mount Sinai emergency room after a sports injury that happened while I was skating on Boxing Day. My femur was broken and my wrist was shattered. I had surgery the morning after I arrived and I was transferred to Bridgepoint three days later. My experience of care between the two hospitals is that it was seamless. There was good communication between the care teams and they worked very well together. The work of the doctors and physiotherapists at Bridgepoint complemented the work done by my surgeon at Mount Sinai and I was able to challenge myself in a physiotherapy program tailored to my needs. By spring I expect I’ll be able to get back to cycling. Under the circumstances, I couldn’t have asked for more.” -Sturla Gunnarsson, patient
Shared common goals
“Working on novel ways to improve communication between care teams as patients move from one campus to another is just one of the benefits of our hospitalists practicing at both campuses. Sinai Health’s Division of Hospital Medicine operates under shared common goals to provide our patients with seamless transitions between acute care and rehabilitation services. Our aim is to achieve better patient experience, reduce medication errors and improve efficiencies.”
-Dr. Christine Soong, Division Head, Interdepartmental Division of Hospital Medicine
Positive learning environments
“My time with the Palliative Care Unit at Bridgepoint and the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai has been amongst the most valuable and positive experiences of my career. Each site offers an incredible team dynamic, driven largely by the outstanding human resources they have attracted. Working with colleagues who are high-performing, motivated, and genuinely driven to provide optimal patient care makes coming to work a pleasure. I didn’t know much about Bridgepoint initially, and I’m so grateful to one of my attending staff (who works at both sites) who first suggested spending time at Bridgepoint. I’m currently at Mount Sinai’s Intensive Care Unit for the third time, and I plan to request returning to Bridgepoint next year. Both foster truly positive learning environments that I hope to surround myself with as much as possible.” -Jalal Ebrahim, third-year Internal Medicine Resident
Bridging the gap
“When patients no longer need the higher level of care provided in the hospital, but aren’t quite ready to return home, a Social Work Care Navigator from Circle of Care helps bridge the gap. By working in partnership with Sinai Health, long-term care provider The Rekai Centres, and LOFT Community Services, the role of the Care Navigator is to help patients successfully transition back to the community after a stay in hospital. We work together to help them get the support they need, whether it’s in a long-term care home, assisted living or back at home with community care. This program helps patients and family caregivers get back to their lives.”
–Natalie Zabolotsky, Circle of Care Social Work Practice Lead
Bringing a vision to life
“The creation of Sinai Health has enabled us to bring our vision for a seamless, patient- and family-centric palliative care program to life. With the support of the Latner family and the efforts of our palliative care team, we’ve been able to build stronger connections between our acute care, home care and palliative care units across the organization. The latest step in this vision – the opening of the Albert and Temmy Latner Family Palliative Care Unit on the 10th floor of Bridgepoint Active Healthcare – has dramatically increased the number of patients coming to the unit from Mount Sinai Hospital and our home care program. Our physicians and staff across sites are able to work together more closely than ever to ensure seamless transitions and care for patients and families.”
-Dr. Russell Goldman, Director, Inter-Departmental Division of Palliative Care and The Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care