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SICKKIDS FOUNDATION
SickKids Foundation is the fundraising organization of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The Foundation's fundraising is driven by the belief that improving the health and well-being of children is one of the most powerful ways to improve society. Philanthropy is a critical source of funding for SickKids. Over the past five years, SickKids Foundation has granted more than $300 million to the Hospital. A direct result of community support, this is the largest investment in paediatric health care and one of the largest contributions to a hospital anywhere in Canada.
THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching.
The Emergency Department (ED) at SickKids provides a vital service to both the community and the hospital as last year alone, more than 48,000 children were treated and 42% of all patient admissions were conducted in the Emergency department. The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of 11 hospitals in the province that has been designated a Lead Trauma Hospital (LTH) by the Ministry of Health. The team concept in trauma care is based on a hierarchy of responsibility and a division of labour under the immediate supervision of the Trauma Team Leader. The team is composed of general surgical, subspecialty, paediatric and emergency medicine residents and fellows, emergency nursing staff, respiratory therapy and x-ray technologists. Initial management priorities follow basic principles of resuscitation and transcend any speciality field.
NAZARETH HOUSE
Nazareth House is non-profit home for at risk women and infants in Toronto. Since 1985, the House has provided safe, healthy and affordable housing to over 1,000 women and 125 infants who are fleeing from domestic abuse, or who are recovering from mental health and substance abuse issues. In some cases, they are pregnant and without support. These are women with special needs who urgently require a short-term, low cost place to call home.
Nazareth House provides:
- Supportive, transitional housing for up to 11 women and 4 infants for up to 10 months
- 24 hour/day support and counseling
- Staff who are highly-trained in Addiction and Mental Health Counseling
- A safe, healthy and home-like environment
- Individual attention to resident's diverse needs
- Assistance in goal setting, learning life skills and principles of conflict resolution
- Outreach services to residents after they leave the home
- Support and counseling through the community reintegration process
- Access to resources within close proximity: hospitals, social agencies, recovery programs and education centres
Nazareth House is not a traditional shelter – it is a facility that performs a constructive ane permanent service to help at risk women learn to live independently, rejoin the workforce and be caring mothers to their infants. The staff who run the home are on the leading edge of care and work collaboratively with many other social agencies, and have gained the respect and admiration of participants and professional peers alike.
Nazareth House is a non-profit corporation and a registered charity. It is funded by the City of Toronto and private donations. Nazareth House accepts self-referrals. Hospitals, treatment centres and other community agencies also refer women to the facility on a daily basis.
While economic recessions impact all segments of society, charitable organizations like Nazareth House are the most vulnerable. In these difficult economic times, the 11 women and 4 infants that rely on this home everyday of the year need our support more than ever. Without our help, these families will be back on the streets or have to return to abusive domestic relationships.
Nazareth House is a small place doing big work – work that is unique, urgent, necessary. The role it plays in the community is paramount – and it needs our help and our support.
