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Abbey

“I don’t feel happy anymore.”

It was last July, after months of suffering in silence that Abbey approached her mom and told her how she was feeling.

“I just felt numb,” she said. “There is really no way to describe the way I was feeling.”

The last 18 months have been so hard on everyone. Nothing has been normal. Nothing has felt right. And nobody has felt this more than kids.

Studies have shown that in the last year, more than 50% of children and adolescents have reported clinically significant depressive symptoms.

But thanks to the generous support of donors like the RBC Foundation, our CAP Clinic has been there to provide youth with the right care at the right time, including Abbey.

The RBC Foundation began supporting the expansion of the CAP Clinic back in 2013, enabling the program to grow from one-day a week to five-days a week, offering the children, youth and families in our community better access to care.

Over the past eight years, the CAP Clinic has seen a 400% increase in referrals, while providing a significant reduction in wait times. Prior to the pandemic, the CAP Clinic achieved zero wait time for appointments with a child and adolescent psychiatrist, nurse and social worker, down from 52 days in 2013.

The impact on children and adolescents has been particularly hard during the pandemic and, as a result, the CAP Clinic referrals have increased exponentially over the past 18 months. Loss of control, feelings of uncertainty, and changes to routine are contributing to symptoms of anxiety, low mood, adjustment disorders, eating disorders, and parent-child relational problems.

It was a feeling of loneliness and isolation that brought Abbey to the CAP Clinic.

“I remember feeling so alone. Both of my parents are essential workers and weren’t home,” she says. “I’m a very social person and I rely on others to make me happy and I was spending a lot of time in my room alone and crying.”

Abbey began with a psychiatrist, but found a connection with Gwen, a social worker in the CAP Clinic. She remembers having an immediate connection with Gwen, who was so welcoming and really made her feel like she had someone she could talk to that understood.

“A lot what helped was her validating the way that I felt,” Abbey says. “It felt so good to know that I wasn’t alone in what I was feeling and I wasn’t going to get in trouble for feeling this way.”

Over the course of her final year of high school, Abbey and Gwen continued to meet regularly, and after graduating in June, Abbey is studying Early Childhood Studies and Early Childhood Education at the University of Guelph-Humber.

For Abbey, the support of donors like the RBC Foundation has helped a great deal and made her more resilient. “All I can say is thank you,” she says. “Without the program, I don’t know where I would be. I’m sure you’re helping a lot of people, not just me.”

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Oran Johnson

Burlington has given Oran Johnson so much: a career, friends, amazing neighbours, financial stability and a true source of connection and pride. So for him, volunteering as a way to give something back was a must.

Oran has served as a member of the JBH Foundation board for the past six years, and during that time has provided incredible leadership and expertise. He also leveraged his passion for golf as Co-Chair for the Annual JBH Open at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.

“I cannot be happier that I chose Joseph Brant Hospital and the Foundation Board as my avenue to try to give back and that they allowed me to be a part of it,” he said. “What an incredible community hospital Joseph Brant has become. It is the pride of our community and the envy of others and I will miss being a part of this incredible continuing transformation.”

Oran is also incredibly appreciative of the generous and ongoing support of all the Burlingtonians who have donated their time and money to make Joseph Brant what it is today. And he has a special message for the staff on the frontlines everyday.

“To the doctors and nurses, service staff and volunteers that pour their heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into providing exceptional care before and now during this pandemic at Joseph Brant Hospital, please know we all owe you a debt we may never be able to properly convey or repay.”

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Susan Busby

Susan Busby has always had a passion for community, and specifically health and education.

A retired teacher and principal, Susan has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to our community through decades of volunteering her time, talent and treasure. Susan has served multiple terms as a member of both the Joseph Brant Hospital and JBH Foundation’s Board and played a key role in the Redevelopment and Expansion project.

“Participating as a volunteer has strengthened my understanding of what it means to be part of a community, working with so many committed individuals who come together to enrich the quality of healthcare at JBH, striving to make our world a better place,“ said Susan.

As Susan’s term on the JBH Foundation board comes to an end, we recognize her commitment of time, talent and treasure and thank her for her leadership and passion for engaging others to give.

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Jamielynne Smith

Jamielynne is a mother of three and a Burlington resident for 30 years.  For over 10 years, Jamielynne has volunteered her time with Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation and has been a part of various event committees for the Foundation.

Jamielynne’s incredible set design skills and ideas have brought a lot of beauty and story to the Foundation’s events, including the Crystal Ball.  For the past 3 years, Jamielynne has created and decorated the themed Holiday Tree, on display in the hospital’s main lobby. Last year’s Holiday tree was dedicated to the frontline heroes of Joseph Brant Hospital.

“I’ve have never volunteered with more passionate, dedicated and fantastic people, who are collectively so dedicated and enthusiastic!” says Jamielynne. “I take a lot of pride in being able to help the Hospital through the Foundation and I hope to continue to volunteer with them for a long time”.

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Aileen, Rick and Hugo Barreto

For the Barreto family, having quality healthcare close to home has led to their volunteering with the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.

“Unfortunately we have been faced with medical conditions that require us to be monitored by various healthcare specialists.  We have been very fortunate that a lot of these healthcare providers are located in Burlington, but not all, said Aileen. “We live in an amazing city that deserves a great hospital with all of these resources so we don’t need to travel to other cities.”

Aileen and her husband Rick, along with their children Hugo and Elle have been giving back to the JBHF since 2015, beginning with the CAAAR! 3 on 3 Road Hockey Tournament. And the key is the opportunity for the entire family to get involved.

“It is important that our children learn that there are different ways to help your community and that giving your time doesn’t cost you anything except heart,” Aileen said. “We love that by volunteering with the JBHF, our children feel a part of the new hospital.”

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Alexandra Todd

Joseph Brant Hospital has been a part of one-third of Alexandra Todd’s life, so giving back to the hospital is something she looks back on as inevitable. Her father is a pharmacist, and her mother is a physician who received her training and started her career at JBH.

“For a period of time, JBH was at the centre of many events for my family,” she said. “As my mother was starting started her career, my grandfather was in palliative care at the hospital, so even when we would go for a walk by the lake, the hospital was always close in sight and thought.”

For Alexandra, hearing stories from her parents about how rewarding and special certain experiences with the hospital have been, and how kind the staff is going above and beyond continued as she’d spend time at the hospital with her mother.

“I was able to wait for my mother finishing checking a newborn on the weekends in the pediatric ward, and it was very uplifting to see so many smiling faces of nurses and parents with their newborns,” said Alexandra. “Despite my experiences with my grandfather, it showed me that the hospital was not always a place for sad news or illness.”

As a student at Fern Hill School, with an incredible history of fundraising, Alexandra was inspired to approach the Principal to suggest redirecting some of the funds raised to their own community hospital, rather than the charities the school had supported in the past.

“It was thanks to Mrs. Derrick who opened her door, ears and heart to a 12-year old wondering and questioning “why not, could we, what do you think” that made it happen,” she said.

As a result of her initiative, Fern Hill School made a five-year pledge in December 2014 to raise $100,000 in support of the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.
Alexandra continues to volunteer with the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation and has recently been an active member of the planning committee for the Join the J community kick off in Spencer Smith Park last October, and as a participant on the Youth in Philanthropy discussion panel last winter.

For Alexandra, supporting healthcare goes back to the care her grandfather received over six years ago.

“I always remember how kind the staff are, going above and beyond for my grandfather,” she said. “Not only the excellent doctor but also the angel nurse who got him Yorkshire pudding to stimulate his English appetite. She was not just the nurse giving his medication, but also the one attending to his pain, suffering, and got to know him as a person.”

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Jason Tieu

“We are trying to prevent patients from ending up in critical care and on a ventilator. We follow patients in respiratory distress and with low oxygen saturations. There are various therapies such as high flow oxygen and bipap that we can use to try and avoid intubation.”

Jason Tieu is a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at Joseph Brant Hospital for just over three years.  As a RRT at JBH, he takes upon the role of the ICU RRT or the Wards RRT, which covers the Emergency Department, Labour and Delivery, NICU, Paediatrics, Medical and Surgical floors and others. He is also a member of the Code Blue, Code Pink and Critical Care Response Team.

He cares for patients of all ages and in all parts of the hospital.

“We deal with neonates, pediatrics and adults. We can be found at high risk deliveries resuscitating a newborn in the Labour and Delivery Department, receiving a patient from Paramedics with vital signs absent in the Emergency Department, intubating and placing a patient on a ventilator in the ICU and many other areas within the hospital.”

Over the years, Jason speaks on the great learning experiences he’s received from his fellow RRTs, Intensivists, nurses and other JBH colleagues.

“I’ve gained a lot of knowledge over my 3 year career at JBH and especially this past year when dealing with COVID-19 patients we’ve learned new ventilation strategies and procedures when treating this infection.”

Navigating the waves of COVID-19, Jason is proud of how everyone has been able to adapt to the situation and perform their jobs as needed.  Everyone is constantly learning new information, best practices and adapting it to their daily tasks

“The management team in the ICU are doing incredible work with planning and being ready for any type of situation that could arise,” says Jason.

When asked about any particular moments at JBH that stand out to Jason, he explains that there are so many.

“There are many memorable moments at JBH. One moment that sticks out to me happened at the beginning of COVID-19. During the first wave of COVID-19, we had a very sick patient on life support. It took months of hard work to eventually get him off the ventilator where he was able to finally breathe on his own again. One year later, he came back and genuinely thanked all the staff that was part of his care at JBH. It is moments like this that give me hope when dealing with this pandemic.”

With tiring and long working shifts, Jason notes that even the smallest gifts cheer him up.

“I have to say thank you to the donors and the community. When you’re finally done a very long shift and you see thank you cards, letters, small gifts or gestures- it’s seeing those words of thanks that makes me reflect on what I’m doing and what it means to families in my community.”

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Rusiri Herath

For the past four years, Rusiri Herath has been working in the inpatient Mental Health Unit at Joseph Brant Hospital.  In her current role as Charge Nurse, she recognizes the importance of being a resource for her colleagues.

“It’s important in mental health that we are able to support not just our patients but our colleagues as well.”

During her time at JBH, Rusiri has seen how much our Mental Health program has evolved and become an incredible environment adapting to new developments in Mental Health care.

“I always learn new things from my patients and what we need to be more aware of,” she says. “Our job isn’t just centered around medication.  We’re building rapport with our patients daily and talking to them about their illness and focusing on their overall well-being.  We focus on the person, not the illness.”

Rusiri and the team are seeing the impacts of COVID-19 on their clients with social isolation and the added precautions. She stresses how it’s important to seek help, and the team at JBH is working every day to break the stigma and support the community with programs and understanding.

“We truly care about our patients.  They come to us in a difficult part in their life, and we motivate and help them thrive and get control of their life.  When we see their progress and see them leave, it’s rewarding to know we’ve helped someone in our community,” says Rusiri.

Noting also how appreciative she is of the community and donors, she adds, “Without the community, our organization wouldn’t be able to provide the level of care our patients deserve.  Contributions are what allows us to provide exemplary care to our patients.”

Rusiri talks about the feeling of community at JBH and the kindness that lives there. “It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is welcoming and polite with smiles on their faces. It really changes your outlook when you work in that kind of environment.  When you come to JBH that’s who you evolve into, you become a better person.”

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Melissa Peters

Over her 20 years as a Labour and Delivery nurse at Joseph Brant Hospital, Melissa Peters has been there for many of life’s most incredible moments.

“I counted every delivery I was part of at the beginning, but I stopped when I hit 1,000 which was in 2004,” she said.

And of course, there are some families and birth stories that stick out, including a family who had nine children, all at JBH, and Melissa was there for three of them.

But nothing as memorable as delivering a baby in the parking lot.

“We received a call from a volunteer that someone was delivering in the parking lot, and the physician on call was performing surgery,” Melissa said.

She ran down with her care partner Tanya to determine how they could help, but they couldn’t locate the mom. Finally, they saw a man beside a van and asked him if they knew where they were needed.

“He said it was his wife, and pointed to the van,” she said. “When we opened the door the baby was already crowning, and we ended up delivering in the van before taking mom and baby upstairs to L&D.”

For Melissa, the team at JBH, and the Labour and Delivery Unit specifically, is incredibly special.

“We have an amazing team. I can’t say enough about them… we all work so well together. Everyday I’m so thankful I work where I do.”

And while Melissa and the entire L&D team wait for the redevelopment of the unit, they continue to provide compassionate care to our community in the moments that matter most.

“We’re so lucky to have Joseph Brant Hospital in our community,” she said.

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Sarah Greer

Sarah Greer has been a Registered Nurse in the Labour and Delivery Unit at Joseph Brant Hospital for over two and half years. She has had the opportunity to care for moms and their families during labour.

“Being a Registered Nurse in the Labour and Delivery Unit is such a unique role because you get to work with moms and babies,” says Sarah. “I love that Labour and Delivery is a family focused area in healthcare. Being an RN and supporting moms through their delivery is an incredible moment and it’s so extraordinary to be a part of that.”

JBH is a special place for Sarah as she talks about the dedicated physicians, nurses and staff at our community hospital.

“You are working collectively with your team to develop individualized care plans for your patients and continuously learning through that process” says Sarah. “Providing compassionate and empathetic care to our patients and families is important to our department”

Sarah notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected the team but also the families they support.

“Deliveries can be very big events, but with new protocols and policies, adjustments have been made,” comments Sarah. “I know the pandemic has changed a lot of experiences for patients.  We understand that every patient has a unique situation, and we work as a team to make sure we are always there for them. They are our priority.”

For Sarah, Labour and Delivery is a cherished unit in the hospital.

“Everyone who works in our department has a great passion for women and their families, and there are other units like NICU, Postpartum, Paediatrics and so many others that play a vital part for our patients and ultimately for our community,” says Sarah. “We’re so thankful for the support of the community because we get to make a difference for our patients. When we have the resources to make a patient’s experience positive, we are enriching our community.”

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