On October 24, during the 28th Gala des Émilie of the Montreal Sacre-Cœur Hospital Foundation, which honours the hospital’s physicians, healthcare professionals and researchers, it was announced that the Foundation’s major campaign It all starts with your signature has received major donations totaling more than $1 million.
The gala, co-hosted by Foundation spokesperson Penelope McQuade and Philippe Fehmiu, brought in $600,000. Proceeds from the event, which was held under the auspices of the Foundation’s Honorary President, Claude Gagnon, President of Quebec Operations for BMO Financial Group, and Mario Therrien, First Vice-president and Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, will be added to donations already received in the major campaign, whose fundraising goal is $35 million.
“Let me be clear. It is urgent that the projects identified in the fundraising campaign be completed as soon as possible – particularly two of the six projects. We must quickly raise the funds needed to complete upgrades to the Spinal Cord Injury Unit, which receives hundreds of hospitalized patients who require high levels of care and rehabilitation. It is also important to move forward with the Integrated Renal Support Centre. More than 22,000 dialysis treatments are carried out every year at Sacré-Cœur. Current conditions are difficult for patients and caregivers, and we need to improve them without delay. It all starts with your signature; your donations can change everything quickly,” said Pénélope McQuade in a heartfelt appeal for donations.
The Foundation works tirelessly to ensure that the Hospital is able to continue developing expertise across a wide range of fields, while remaining a referral centre for several medical specialties such as trauma care, cardiovascular heath, respiratory medicine, mental health, bariatric medicine and sleep disorders.
Donations to the fundraising campaign can be made on line at fondationhscm.org.
TRIBUTES TO FIVE EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
In keeping with the charity event’s traditions, the gala was also an occasion to honour physicians and healthcare professionals who have shown their devotion to improving care over the years.
Here are the 5 Coups de cœur for 2019:
COUP DE COEUR IN TEACHING: Dr. MARC GIASSON
A pioneer in intensive care medicine in Quebec and an ardent voice for a generalist approach to internal medicine, Dr. Giasson worked to create an integrated model for the Intensive Care Unit that includes having a dedicated intensive care physician responsible for each patient.
As Director of Teaching from 2006 to 2018, he notably participated in the resurrection of outpatient surgical and ob-gyn services at Montreal Sacré-Cœur Hospital. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Giasson developed the first hospital-based simulation laboratory in Quebec.
Hi expertise and reputation in the university milieu, his 20 years of service in teaching and administration at the University of Montreal, and his highly motivational style across all his endeavours, make Dr. Giasson an exceptional person.
COUP DE COEUR IN RESEARCH: Ms. Marie Dumont
Dr. Marie Dumont is preoccupied by sleep. A professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal and a researcher at the Centre d’études avancées en médecine du sommeil, or CEAMS (centre for advanced medical studies in sleep disorders), Dr. Dupont is an authority in her field.
This researcher completed postdoctoral studies in chronobiology at Harvard Medical School. She obtained her doctorate in neurological sciences under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Montplaisir, an international authority with the research centre at Sacré-Cœur Hospital.
Dr. Dumont is one of the four founding members of the group that led the creation of the CEAMS. Her research has been published in articles, textbooks, presentations and in various other forms. She also has participated in many radio and television programs (Découverte, Enjeux, L’Épicerie, etc.).
COUP DE COEUR ON THE COUNCIL OF PHYSICIANS, DENTISTS AND PHARMACISTS: Dr. josée savoie
An efficient and passionate administrator, Dr. Savoie is Associate Director General, General and Specialized Physical Health Program, and Director of Professional Services for the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et des services sociaux du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS NIM), the regional health authority serving the northern sector of Montreal.
Trained in family medicine, with a specialty in geriatrics, Dr. Savoie was in active practice in geriatrics at the Hospital for some 20 years, including seven years as head of the Department of General Medicine.
After the CIUSSS NIM was created, upper management appointed her to her present position in April, 2015. Dr. Savoie succeeded in instilling a sense of collaboration among members of the medical staff and administrators when co-management with the CIUSS-NIM was initiated and when she was given responsibility for several programs in the hospital.
COUP DE COEUR OF THE CIUSSS (NIM): Ms. annie béliveau
An outstanding nurse, Ms. Béliveau specializes in neurological care and has been practicing her profession for nearly 30 years. She is also fully engaged as Assistant Head Nurse, a post she has held at Montreal Sacre-Cœur Hospital since 2012. Her work includes working as a resource person for her colleagues in planning, placement and evaluation of nursing care. She also participates in the evaluation of training needs and nursing performance.
Ms. Annie Béliveau fulfills the role of an assistant head nurse in exemplary fashion, showing strong leadership while bringing a human touch, openness and compassion to her duties. She takes satisfaction in her daily work, which is far from routine and often requires quick decisions. Her greatest pleasure after the day is done is to feel the satisfaction of a job well done, and of having done her best with devotion.
COUP DE COEUR OF THE FOUNDATION: SISTER CLAIRE HOUDE
Provincial Superior of the Sisters of Providence for Émilie-Gamelin, Sister Claire Houde is an accomplished administrator. Her abilities as a mediator, her humanity and her financial knowledge acquired at Montreal’s Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) have proven to be a boon for Sacre-Cœur Hospital and our Foundation.
We can’t pay homage to her without also thanking our founders, the Sisters of Providence, who celebrated 175 years of congregation in 2018. The Sisters of Providence work to help people who are ill, the elderly and the poor. We owe so much to this religious order, including many charitable works and the creation of our Foundation in 1976. Ever since then, the Sisters of Providence have had a seat on the Foundation’s administration.