For communicable diseases, the first step in the line of defence is testing. The quick development and distribution of a test helps with early identification, accelerated treatment, and immediate isolation to prevent the spread. For the COVID-19 pandemic, this was no different – and Shared Hospital Laboratory (SHL) played an instrumental role in this by conducting and processing COVID-19 tests – one million COVID-19 tests to be exact.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to be in a department of people who, in the face of uncertainty said, ‘We are the Patient Registration & Admitting team, and we have to work together with the rest of our hospital to respond to COVID-19 and serve our community.’”

That’s what Ashley Ukrainetz, a Patient Registration supervisor at Scarborough Health Network (SHN),

Scarborough Health Network (SHN) has received its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine, and began administering doses on December 22. This is an exciting moment for our community and gives us hope for a healthier future.

Following a successful pilot of the process at University Hospital Network and The Ottawa Hospital, SHN was included in a list of 17 health care organizations that would carry out the first of the province’s three-phase vaccine implementation plan.

With the cold, blustering winds that the Canadian winters bring, the last thing most of us want to do is be waiting outside in long lines. With the lockdowns and restrictions in place throughout Scarborough and Toronto, long lines at the grocery store are imminent – but for the residents of Scarborough, waiting in a [...]

COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Scarborough and SHN is managing much higher patient volumes in all three of its emergency departments (ED) and intensive care units (ICU).

Community members should consider alternate options if their needs are not an emergency:

• Family doctors
• Urgent care, walk-in, or after-hours clinics
• Telehealth Ontario(call toll-free to speak to a registered nurse at 1-866-797-0000 or TTY: 1-866-797-0007)

For holiday hours of service,

Q&A with Alicia Vandermeer, President and CEO, SHN Foundation

As we enter the holiday season of what has been a difficult and unprecedented year for all, SHN Foundation is reflecting on the generosity of our Scarborough community. We sat down with Alicia Vandermeer, President and CEO, SHN Foundation, to talk about the important role our supporters,

This winter will be different for many of us this year, but there is still a lot to celebrate! We asked a few of our SHN Superstars to share how they’re enjoying this special time of year.

 

 

Dr. Ilan Fischler, Corporate Chief & Medical Director, Psychiatry

Do you celebrate a holiday in December? 

Campaign targets misinformation, testing and support services

As​ COVID-19 ​cases continue to rise, TAIBU Community Health Centre and Scarborough Health Network ​have launched their “Taking care of Blackl ives” campaign to provide specific messaging and resources to ​African Caribbean and Black (ACB) ​communities across hot spots in Scarborough and throughout the city.​

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,

Scarborough Health Network (SHN)’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) led an open community forum on March 2, 2020, to discuss SHN’s Mental Health and Addictions programs – a key priority identified by the CAC.

Community members, SHN community partners, SHN staff, and other key stakeholders joined together to learn about accessing mental health and addiction services in Scarborough.

A key initiative in driving forward SHN’s strategic direction to Improve Health Equity, on January 30, 2020, we spent the day partnered with volunteers from across our community finding real-world solutions to emerging questions around health equity and health service utilization in Scarborough. We used the “hackathon” format to make it a day of intensive [...]