Grandview Kids and Lakeridge Health Announce Groundbreaking New Service for Children and Youth

DURHAM REGION – Thousands of children and youth with developmental and physical disabilities in Durham Region will soon have access to improved and more personalized health care thanks to a new, first-of-its-kind in Canada and forward-thinking partnership between Lakeridge Health and Grandview Kids.

Grandview Kids, Durham Region’s only Children’s Treatment Centre and leader in supporting children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs, will house a state-of-the-art outpatient procedure room within The Jerry Coughlan Building—the Centre’s new Ajax-based headquarters. The space will enable monthly appointments for qualifying children and youth to receive procedures with sedation from Grandview Kids physicians and Lakeridge Health surgical and anesthesia staff.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Grandview Kids on this important initiative that will strengthen the health and well-being of families across Durham Region,” said Cynthia Davis, President and CEO of Lakeridge Health. “By expanding access to critical services for children and youth, we’re not just improving their care – we’re creating a more connected, supportive experience for families and everyone involved in their care journey. This collaboration is a powerful step toward building a truly integrated system of care, fully aligned with our vision of ‘One System. Best Health.’ A special thank you to the Lakeridge Health Foundation for helping bring this vision to life.”

“At Grandview Kids, we see thousands of children and youth in our medical clinics annually. We work directly with families to find creative and unique ways to support their health care needs, but it can be difficult to find local providers,” says Dr. Carolyn Hunt, Developmental Paediatrician and Medical Director at Grandview Kids. “Currently, Grandview Kids’ developmental paediatricians and clinical staff collaborate with Lakeridge Health to provide injections to our patients with cerebral palsy three times a year at their Oshawa hospital site. However, this program only supports a small percentage of our patients who would benefit from sedation-supported care. The new partnership will increase access to medical care at Grandview Kids by 4x, impacting thousands of children and youth in the community.”

The nationally unique collaboration is the first of what experts believe to be a wave of specialized outpatient procedure rooms in Children’s Centres that enable sedation-supported care alongside hospital staff.

Common health care procedures like blood work, injections, ear and nose care, routine exams and more can be extremely challenging for many children and youth with autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental and physical disabilities. These patients and their families often struggle to find providers and clinics that offer local anesthetic for these types of care.

For Durham Region parents like Sandra Stewart, who spent over a year and a half advocating for her son to have an ingrown toenail removed, today’s announcement is welcome news.

“My son has autism and is very sensitive to medical experiences,” said Sandra. “This procedure may sound minor to most people, but for him, it’s traumatic. I was turned away from three Greater Toronto Area hospitals before Lakeridge Health stepped in to help. I’ve worked in health care for decades, so I’d consider myself an expert in navigating the system. But even I couldn’t find help. I tried everything and I felt like I was failing my son. I was finally able to get the attention of Lakeridge Health’s surgical team and they really listened. He was able to get his procedure and long-needed bloodwork while under anesthetic. I recently learned about this new partnership, and I think I speak for many families when I say, ‘thank you!’”

Grandview Kids Chief Executive Officer Tom McHugh shares that the organization has had their eye on a partnership like this for years. “As Grandview Kids began planning what new spaces and features The Jerry Coughlan Building would offer to enhance our service delivery, we deliberately prepared for a clinical space that enabled sedation-supported care. The new outpatient procedure room, located within our fully accessible, sensory-friendly headquarters, will provide our clients with complex medical needs and their families more comfortable and timely access to minor procedures supported by sedation. We look forward to allowing parents and caregivers to attend to their child’s procedures so they can provide emotional and physical support to their child. This partnership with Lakeridge Health comes at an opportune time, as we aim to deliver this much-needed and anticipated care at The Jerry Coughlan Building to utilize the outpatient procedure room to its full potential.”

The Lakeridge Health-Grandview Kids outpatient procedure room will enable a new model of surgical care that is safe, empathetic, accessible and truly patient-centred. Lakeridge Health experts like an anesthesiologist, paediatrician and surgical nurses and Grandview Kids’ expert team of developmental paediatricians and clinical staff will collaborate to deliver a variety of regularly scheduled medical procedures with anesthesia not currently offered in Durham Region. The room will also be a safe space for parents and caregivers to attend alongside their children – an option not available in other hospitals.

To get the service partnership off the ground, the procedure room must be outfitted with a variety of medical tools and anesthesia equipment. Lakeridge Health Foundation has committed to raising $1 million alongside the Durham Region community to purchase items ranging from $10 to $150,000, like scissors, gel headrests, a vein finder and an anesthesia gas machine.

Lakeridge Health Foundation is committed to advancing health care in our community, and in this case, we’re supporting a collaboration with two health care leaders in Durham Region,” says Yves Gadler, CEO, Lakeridge Health Foundation. “By funding the equipment needs of the Lakeridge Health-Grandview Kids procedure room our donor community will help elevate an existing partnership and ensuring specialized care is available, close to home, for thousands of children and youth.”

To spark donations to this campaign, two long-time friends and their families have come together to match up to $50,000 in donations raised by the community. Bryan Yetman, former Chair of the Grandview Kids Foundation and Colin O’Regan, donor and volunteer with Lakeridge Health Foundation, were inspired by the work of both organizations and the extraordinary care they deliver to Durham Region residents.

Individuals, organizations and community groups looking to learn more or have their donation matched can do so by visiting www.liveheregivehere.ca or contacting Lakeridge Health Foundation at 905-433-4339.

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 to live, learn and play. Through specialized programs, rehabilitation services, outpatient clinical therapies and medical services delivered by a dedicated team of developmental paediatricians, Grandview Kids supports children and youth to live at their full potential. Learn more at grandviewkids.ca.

About Lakeridge Health

With five hospitals, four emergency departments, three critical care units, a long-term care home, a full range of medical and surgical specialties, more than 20 community health-care locations and a state-of-the-art surgical centre within the Jerry Coughlan Health & Wellness Centre, Lakeridge Health offers some of the broadest and most comprehensive acute care, ambulatory care, and long-term care services in Ontario.

Lakeridge Health is also home to several regional specialty centres and services, including the Central East Regional Cancer Program, R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, The Shoulder Centre, eye care, thoracic, gynecology oncology and chronic kidney disease services. Additionally, we are proud to serve our community with a full suite of inpatient, ambulatory, and community-based mental health and addictions services, and provide safe, high-quality, compassionate care in our state-of-the-art long-term care home, Lakeridge Gardens.

Lakeridge Health is redefining the future of health care through transformative research, dynamic academic partnerships, and groundbreaking clinical trials. With over 140 active studies, we’re at the forefront of advancing medical knowledge, expanding treatment options, and improving the lives of our patients. Our one-of-a-kind Queen’s-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program is on the leading edge of training the next generation of primary care doctors. Each year, over 3,000 students and trainees are supported by the Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network (LHEARN). Through our innovative collaboration with Ontario Tech University, we’re also harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize patient care. Together with our academic, community, and industry partners, Lakeridge Health is tackling the toughest health challenges and elevating the quality of care for the communities we serve.

Guided by our vision of One System. Best Health. and supported by a dedicated team of nearly 9,000 staff, physicians, and volunteers, Lakeridge Health is a proud member of the Durham Ontario Health Team (Durham OHT) and works in collaboration with the Durham OHT, as well as primary care, and community and government partners to foster a truly integrated, regional system of care. Together, we are focused on empowering people to live their best health and fostering an accessible, inclusive, and equitable environment for all.

About Lakeridge Health Foundation

Lakeridge Health Foundation raises funds and awareness for both the Oshawa and Whitby hospital sites as well as regional programs and partnerships of Lakeridge Health. The Foundation supports Lakeridge Health through generous donations from individuals and organizations, signature events, community partnerships and initiatives. In 2017, Lakeridge Health Foundation received distinguished accreditation for the Imagine Canada Standards Program, making the Foundation the first charity in Durham Region to uphold such a standard. For more information, visit www.lhfoundation.ca

For more information, please contact:
Sharon Navarro, Manager Public Relations
Lakeridge Health | C: 905-435-7889 | E: snavarro@lh.ca

Daina Robinson, Vice-President, Marketing & Community Engagement
Lakeridge Health Foundation | C: 905-391-0181 | E: darobinson@lh.ca

Adrian Polidano, Acting Director of Communications and External Relations
Grandview Kids | C: 437-703-3559 | E: adrian.polidano@grandviewkids.ca