News

Holland Bloorview’s Extensive Needs Service partners with Grandview Kids, Michael Garron Hospital and Surrey Place so more families can access care closer to home

TORONTO, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 — With limited financial resources, Anthea Charles has struggled to find the right care and services to help her son Idika function outside their home. Since turning 15 years old, his meltdowns have included aggressive and destructive behaviour that his family had never seen before and has made school attendance increasingly difficult. His inability to communicate with his family and loved ones made it almost impossible to know how to help him — until Idika was able to receive care through Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s new Extensive Needs Service.

Now, more children and youth, like Idika, with complex and extensive care, neurodevelopmental and behavioural needs can receive timely, personalized, wrap-around supports – right in their own neighbourhoods in the Greater Toronto Area, thanks to the partnership announced today by Holland Bloorview, Grandview Kids, Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) and Surrey Place.

This regional partnership comes on the heels of the April 2023 launch of the Extensive Needs Service (ENS) program through which Holland Bloorview, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and McMaster Children’s Hospital are providing critical specialized neurodevelopmental health services to over 1,000 families annually.

Funded by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, this program was developed for children who have multiple neurodevelopmental, behavioural, medical and physical needs, as well as social vulnerabilities – kids who have otherwise fallen through the cracks of a complex health and developmental services system.

Overall, the program is designed to reduce barriers to accessing timely, evidence-based treatment for some of the most vulnerable children in the province.

Families participating in the Extensive Needs Service can connect to a team of professionals, including physicians, social workers, occupational therapists and behavioural consultants who work together to provide tailored support based on the individual needs of the child or youth and their families. Services are individualized, trauma-informed and can include prescribing or adjusting medications; goal-directed behaviour therapy; mental health assessments and treatment; social work, such as counselling for parents and caregivers; and other specialized interventions to support children and youth to build skills, such as communication and self-regulation.

As the SmartStart Hub for Toronto, Surrey Place will serve as an entry point to help families navigate to and access care through the Extensive Needs Service with dedicated service coordinators who will work closely with families to coordinate their care at Holland Bloorview’s Extensive Needs Service program.

Toronto families interested in the Extensive Needs Service program and who are not currently receiving care at Holland Bloorview can connect with Surrey Place online or by calling 1-833-575-KIDS (5437) to inquire about their eligibility to access these supports. For Anthea, Holland Bloorview’s Extensive Needs Service Program has given her reason to hope again. Since Idika was enrolled in the program early this spring, she has noticed that he is more expressive, more patient and more flexible. “I feel like I’m getting my son back. I can’t thank the program staff enough for how they’ve helped my son so much now.”

Quotes:

“Our government is improving the experiences and long-term outcomes for children and youth with complex special needs. We are investing $97 million in the Extensive Needs Service pilot program to support more than 1,000 children with complex special needs every year,” said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “When children and families can access services tailored to their needs, the short and long-term outcomes for children improve, as do their parents’ well-being.” – Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

“Our government is taking action by working with our health partners to connect children and youth and their families to specialized care, closer to home. This new and innovative partnership will ensure children and youth with complex needs in Toronto and Durham Region can access the care and services they need and deserve in their community.” – Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

“This new partnership between Holland Bloorview, Grandview Kids, Michael Garron Hospital and Surrey Place will provide access to Extensive Needs Service program to more families of children with complex care needs in the Greater Toronto Area. Instead of spending time navigating a complex system, families will be able to get their care their child needs and deserves in a way that is connected and convenient.” – Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance

“By joining forces with our new partners, children, youth and their families living in Toronto and Durham Region can receive the specialized care they need closer to their homes and delivered by their local healthcare teams. Thanks to the support from the Government of Ontario, we are helping to support a health system that is more agile, socially accountable and accessible to families.” – Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO of Holland Bloorview

“We are honoured to partner with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital to implement an Extensive Needs Service Program in Durham Region. Children with extensive needs, living in our community, deserve to have access to coordinated, responsive care close to home. This reduces the burden on these families to travel long distances to see their providers, which only further exacerbates the caregiver burnout so many experience due to the current lack of support for this vulnerable population. ” Tom McHugh, CEO, Grandview Kids

“As a mother, I have done everything I can for my children and it’s still not enough. Available resources are greatly limited, waitlists are long, being selected for funding is akin to playing the lottery and costs to procure private services are high. The Extensive Needs Service is helping prevent us from losing our kids and our home. Rory’s therapy is vital to her life and the wellbeing of our entire family.” – Jamie, mom to Rory who is receiving care from Grandview Kids

“MGH is excited to partner with Holland Bloorview to launch this critical service in early 2024 to meet the needs of children, youth and families in East Toronto. Most importantly, this service is close to home, low-barrier, with timely, personalized care based on each child’s need. ” – Dr. Krista Lemke, medical director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH).

“We are thrilled to be part of the Extensive Needs Service and are honoured to join all our partners to provide more seamless and personalized health services for families who need it the most. Surrey Place has a unique role in this partnership, acting as the entry point to help families access and navigate care through Extensive Needs Service. In our role as the lead agency for coordinated service planning, our focus is to reduce barriers for families with children and youth who have multiple or complex special needs, and connect them with the right services and supports, based on their strengths and needs. Our dedicated service coordinators will work alongside families to determine goals for services, coordinate and make referrals to the right community supports, and ensure families are at the center of the decision-making process.” – Terri Hewitt, CEO, Surrey Place

About Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital believes in creating a world where all youth and children belong. We are the only children’s rehabilitation hospital in Canada focused on combining world-class care, transformational research, and academic leadership in the field of child and youth rehabilitation and disability. We are a top 40 Canadian research hospital that is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Providing both inpatient and outpatient services, Holland Bloorview is renowned for its expertise in co-creating with clients and families to provide exceptional care and is the only organization to ever achieve 100 per cent in three successive quality surveys by Accreditation Canada. Holland Bloorview is a founding member of Kids Health Alliance, a network of partners working to create a high quality, consistent and coordinated approach to pediatric health care that is centred around children, youth and their families. Together we dream big. Together we champion a world of possibility.

About Grandview Kids

Founded in 1953, Grandview Kids is a family-centred, independently operated non-profit organization dedicated to supporting children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs. Through specialized programs, rehabilitation services and outpatient clinical therapies, Grandview Kids supports children and youth to live life at their full potential. Learn more at grandviewkids.ca.

About Michael Garron Hospital

Nestled in the heart of East Toronto, Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) is a vibrant community teaching hospital serving more than 400,000 people in 22 distinct neighbourhoods. For more than 90 years, MGH has delivered high-quality, patient-centred healthcare services to families along the continuum of care, from welcoming a new life to facing end-of-life. MGH is a full-service hospital with strong community and research partners, including the University of Toronto. MGH is a proud member of East Toronto Health Partners, the Ontario Health Team serving East Toronto.

About Surrey Place

Surrey Place is a leading provider of services and support for individuals with confirmed or suspected developmental or intellectual disability. With over 60 years of experience in the field, Surrey Place is committed to providing exceptional care and support to help individuals achieve their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Suelan Toye
Senior Research Communications Specialist
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Cell: 416-520-7953
stoye@hollandbloorview.ca

Avori Cheyne
Chief Communications Officer | Executive Lead, Strategic Communications, Partnerships, Engagement
Grandview Kids
avori.cheyne@grandviewkids.ca

Alison Shouldice
Senior Communications Specialist
Michael Garron Hospital
alison.shouldice@tehn.ca

Betty Kim
Senior Communications Specialist
Surrey Place
betty.kim@surreyplace.ca

$200,000 Partnership Development Grant advances field of disability research in Durham Region

Research shows that children and youth from equity-deserving communities experience health care differently from their peers. Sometimes these experiences are affected by multiple identities, such as race, gender or disability. Together with Ontario Tech University, Grandview Kids hopes to better understand the barriers, biases and inequities faced by children and youth with developmental concerns when they are waiting and accessing paediatric rehabilitation.

To help address these critical societal issues, Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University secured a $200,000 Partnership Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This funding will help advance the field of childhood disability research, strengthening the ongoing collaborative efforts of Ontario Tech University and Grandview Kids, which formalized a partnership in February 2023 to advance research, innovation and education in Durham Region.

“Grandview Kids is dedicated to providing culturally-safe care to all children, youth and caregivers. Through this investigative research, we will advance our work, alongside our Family Advocates, to find a way to better understand the communities we serve. This is an exciting next step in our ongoing partnership with Ontario Tech University.”
Tom McHugh, Chief Executive Officer, Grandview Kids

Partnership Development Grants support formal partnerships between academic researchers, community organizations and other partners that will advance knowledge and understanding on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance.
The grants allow partners to design and test new approaches to research and its real-world applications, foster valuable research relationships and networks across sectors, and provide hands-on training for students and new scholars.

The SSHRC funding will enable the partners to conduct research that will help shape the future of culturally-safe care at Grandview Kids and beyond. The three-year project is titled, “Building knowledge and understanding of the intersection of race and disability in accessing pediatric rehabilitation services.”

Dr. Meghann Lloyd from Ontario Tech University and Dr. Taryn Eickmeier from Grandview Kids are Co-Directors for this research. Dr. Lloyd is also the Senior Research Associate for Grandview Kids, while Dr. Eickmeier serves as an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University.
Co-applicants include: Dr. Robert Balogh (Ontario Tech), Dr. Lesley Jacobs (Ontario Tech), Janicka Auguste (Grandview Kids), Maritza Basaran (Grandview Kids) and Yvonne Mais (The Regional Municipality of Durham).

“This grant demonstrates the strength of the partnership between Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University. It provides the resources to ask some critical and timely research questions related to the intersection of race and disability when accessing paediatric rehabilitation services. The grant will provide numerous opportunities for students to get involved in meaningful research, while also enabling us to uncover how best to deliver culturally-safe care to children, youth and their families.”
Dr. Meghann Lloyd, Associate Professor, Ontario Tech University and Senior Research Associate at Grandview Kids

This SSHRC-funded research study is the next focus for Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University’s formal partnership, amplifying the organizations’ shared objective to co-create ethical, sound research that is clinically-relevant and community-informed. The partnership also enables further exploration of experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, joint research activities across different faculties, academic and non-academic programming, innovation, and entrepreneurship that connects students and faculty with the community, and builds new engagement and outreach across Durham Region and beyond.

Together, Grandview Kids and Ontario Tech University are contributing to cutting-edge science that will advance clinical and educational opportunities for the children of the future.

About Ontario Tech University

A modern, forwarding-thinking university, Ontario Tech advances the discovery and application of knowledge to accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation. We inspire and equip our students and our graduates to make a positive impact in a tech-focused world. For us, it’s not only about developing the next tech breakthrough. Understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology differentiates us as university. Learn more at ontariotechu.ca.

Media contact:

Avori Cheyne

Chief Communications Officer

Grandview Kids

647-631-2668

Avori.cheyne@grandviewkids.ca

As Grandview Kids embarks on expanding its reach in research, innovation and knowledge mobilization, it has recently welcomed Dr. Fiona Moola as a formal Research Associate. Dr. Moola is an Associate Professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University and comes with a long history of research excellence across many children’s hospitals in Canada. She is also a status-only professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. Dr. Moola is also a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and operates a small therapy practice for kids and families. Dr. Moola is the second Research Associate to join Grandview Kids.

Grandview Kids is pleased to welcome Dr. Moola as our newest Research Associate. Partnering with her, and harnessing her incredible passion and expertise, we will advance our research efforts to deliver more innovative, evidence-informed and culturally safe services for thousands of children and youth with communication, developmental and physical needs.
Tom McHugh, CEO, Grandview Kids

Maritza Basaran, Dr. Taryn Eickmeier, Dr. Fiona Moola and
Nivatha Moothathamby posing for a photo at the Grandview Kids Main Site in Oshawa shortly after welcoming Dr. Fiona Moola as Grandview Kids' new Research Associate. — From left to right: Maritza Basaran (Grandview Kids), Dr. Taryn Eickmeier (Grandview Kids), Dr. Fiona Moola (TMU) and Nivatha Moothathamby (TMU)

The partnership is built on the founding values of Grandview Kids: Caring and commitment, whole-child and family-centred, trust and respect, innovation and continuous learning, accountability, and excellence. Together with Dr. Fiona Moola, Grandview Kids Executive Lead of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Mobilization, Dr. Taryn Eickmeier, will be able to inform culturally-safe practices to support all clients and caregivers. This partnership advances a commitment to engage children, youth and caregivers in research and innovation – especially in equity-deserving and marginalized communities.

Over the past three years, I have enjoyed many research-interactions with Grandview Kids. Their research is deeply rooted in an ethics of care, humility, listening, decolonization, relationality, and reciprocity with researchers and participants. It brings me great joy to join Grandview Kids as a formal Research Associate in partnership with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Together, across Grandview Kids and TMU, I look forward to elevating and amplifying paediatric disability research and discovery in Canada with a particular emphasis on listening to the voices of marginalized communities through an equity lens. I feel privileged and honoured that Grandview Kids has generously opened their doors. I look forward to leaving a lasting footprint on paediatric disability research in Canada with Grandview Kids.
Dr. Fiona Moola, Grandview Kids Research Associate

As the only Children’s Treatment Centre in the Durham Region, Grandview Kids is committed to ensuring all children and youth have equitable access to developmental and rehabilitation services. Furthermore, it is imperative that these services are evidence-informed and ethical. Partnerships with researchers, like Dr. Moola, can help ensure clinical and medical staff are delivering the best available therapies and treatments to clients, in a way that supports goals that are meaningful for each family.

More information about Dr. Fiona Moola and the Grandview Kids Research, Innovation and Knowledge Mobilization portfolio can be found on our Research page.

About Dr. Moola

Dr. Fiona J. Moola is an Associate Professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies in the Faculty of Community Services at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Moola is a Canadian-South African who is the daughter of anti-apartheid activists from South Africa. Dr. Moola is a woman of colour.

Dr. Moola completed Undergraduate, Masters, and Doctoral Degrees at the University of Toronto, graduating in 2011. She completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Concordia University in 2012 before joining the Faculty at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Moola comes with a long history of excellence across many children’s in Canada where she has maintained many lines of research. These include a) children with disabilities, play, and physical activity, b) childhood disability and the arts, c) marginalized childhoods, and d) childhood disability, narrative, and storytelling. Dr. Moola also maintains ongoing lines of research in Indigenous childhoods and children’s mental health.

Dr. Moola’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Research, TMU, VERTEX, the Holland Bloorview Foundation, and the University of Toronto. Dr. Moola’s work is strongly committed to principles of critical health psychology, social justice, and anti-oppression. Thus far, Dr. Moola has contributed 55 publications (articles and book chapters) to the academic peer reviewed literature. Fiona is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and has a small therapy practice. Fiona also teaches and delivers equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops. Dr. Moola is delighted to join Grandview Kids as its second Research Associate.

Media Contact

Avori Cheyne

Chief Communications Officer

Grandview Kids

647-631-2660

Avori.Cheyne@grandviewkids.ca

Passing the “Grandview Kids sparkle”

In a recent ceremony broadcast to #TeamGrandview, outgoing Grandview Kids CEO Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann “passed the Grandview Kids sparkle” to new CEO Tom McHugh. Here’s what they said to one another:

Lorraine: “Tom, it’s my absolute honour to pass you the Grandview Kids sparkle… This sparkle represents the magic at Grandview Kids. It’s that warm feeling you get when you walk through the doors. It’s the way we work together to support clients and caregivers. It’s the passion that unites our talented and dedicated team. It’s ingrained into our culture as something we celebrate, cherish and work hard to create. Tom, I now pass the sparkle to you with great pride. Preserve it, amplify it because the future is so bright.”

Tom: “Thank you, Lorraine. I feel privileged to take on the enormous but exciting responsibility of maintaining the Grandview Kids’ sparkle–something I noticed as soon as I arrived. With great care and intention, I am committed to building on the momentum of Grandview’s legacy. Harnessing the undeniable skillset of #TeamGrandview, and grounding ourselves in our shared purpose of supporting children, youth and families in the Durham Region, I am confident that our sparkle will grow brighter and brighter.”

*Lorraine passes the Grandview Kids “sparkle” to Tom.*

Meet Grandview Kids’ New CEO, Tom McHugh

Watch Tom McHugh’s introductory interview below as he commences his exciting journey with Grandview Kids.

More about Tom McHugh

Tom brings significant experience to the role as a respected leader who has led complex organizations through times of change and expansion, previously spending eight years in a CEO role at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital and Alexandra Hospital – Ingersoll. For another decade, he served as a Regional Vice President of Cancer Care Ontario. Over his career, he has held executive and senior-level leadership positions at London Health Sciences Centre and Lakeridge Health.

Tom began his career as a registered Occupational Therapist, supporting his appreciation of the rehabilitation services Grandview Kids is well-known for offering in the Durham Region. Supplementing his Occupational Therapy training, Tom earned a master’s degree in public administration, focusing on health policy. In addition to his experience in the field, Tom brings a deepened sense of care and understanding to his role at Grandview Kids acquired through his lived experience as a parent to four children, two with a developmental disability.

As the construction of the New Grandview Kids headquarters inches closer to completion each day, Tom undoubtedly enters the CEO role at an exciting time for the organization. Through his storied experience and infectious excitement for change, Grandview Kids is looking forward to learning and growing under Tom’s leadership.

Lorraine, thank you for your dedicated service and incredible leadership over the last 11 years. We wish you all the best in your retirement.

Tom, welcome to #TeamGrandview. With you on our team, our future is sure to be bright!

Announcing the retirement of Grandview Kids CEO, Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann

It is with mixed emotions that we announce Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Grandview Kids’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will retire in February 2023. Lorraine has been our compassionate leader, unrelenting champion and inspiring motivator for 11 years. During her tenure, Lorraine has transformed how children and youth with disabilities access, engage and guide care in Durham Region and across the paediatric health and social services sector. She has steered the way to establishing a more inclusive, accessible and integrated health system, both locally and provincially.

Under Lorraine’s leadership, Grandview Kids has grown from 80 to nearly 250 employees, providing specialized paediatric and rehabilitation services to more than 16,000 children and youth per year. Lorraine has fostered strong connections between community and school-based partners so that children have access to care in places where they live, learn and play.

Lorraine’s advocacy came to fruition with the April 2022 ground-breaking of “The New Grandview Kids,” a state-of-the-art facility, which will offer leading practice, family-centred services for children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs. Lorraine’s unwavering determination secured Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal government funding and exposure for this monumental project. Her passion and commitment were the key catalysts of change, driving ongoing transformation and modernization as we look to the future of Grandview Kids. Her legacy will live on within the walls of our new Centre of Excellence, slated to open in 2024.

Over two decades serving in frontline and leadership roles with St. Michael’s Hospital and Lakeridge Health, Lorraine campaigned for evidence-based and family-centred practice. She has always valued families as partners in care, actively embedding their voice to guide decisions. At Grandview Kids, Lorraine has been a visionary, adding families to the inter-professional team who oversee the organization’s strategic directions.

Team Grandview has witnessed Lorraine’s ability to make brave decisions – putting families first – and demonstrating a commitment to advance rehabilitation through research, innovation, quality improvement, partnerships and engagement. As a leader, she is accountable, responsible, transparent and innovative. Lorraine’s work has been measurable, but most of all, it has been impactful. She will be dearly missed.

As we consider what this means for Grandview Kids, our Board of Trustees has been engaged in strategic discussions around next steps. Through the oversight of a dedicated CEO Succession Planning Committee, our Board will begin recruiting for the CEO role immediately. The CEO job posting is available on the Grandview Kids website.

In the meantime, please join us in wishing Lorraine support and well wishes as she enters this next chapter in her life, where she looks forward to spending time with her family. Notes of congratulations can be sent to communications@grandviewkids.ca.

There is no doubt Lorraine leaves a lasting legacy for our sector.

Three images of Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann stitched together. From left to right: Lorraine is touching the knee of a child you is sitting down after receiving a vaccine at Grandview's Vaccine Clinic; Lorraine reaching to hug an employee at Grandview's 2022 Staff barbecue; and Lorraine posing with three kids for a photo in a Grandview Kids branded cardboard cutout.

The Power of One:

Nominate a member of Team Grandview for this prestigious award

At Grandview Kids, we take great pride in our most valuable asset – our team.

Each member of Team Grandview gives their best every day. With every appointment, program or service delivered, our clinicians, staff, students and volunteers help build a welcoming and inclusive environment for all families. All Team Members sparkle and we’re asking for your input to help them shine.

Nominate a member of Team Grandview who has made a difference in the life of your child, youth or family.

Any member of Team Grandview can be nominated.

One team member will be selected to receive the Power of One award, presented at our Annual Staff Barbeque in June.

Nominations are now open using this online form until Friday, April 29, 2022.

Questions? Email Communications@grandviewkids.ca