The Montreal Children’s Brings Home Prestigious Award for Home Care Innovation

Saturday, September 9, 2006 - 20:22

Yes! Doctors and Nurses Still Make House Calls

Rotman Award recognizes MCH efforts to care for children with complex Iillnesses in their homes rather than in hospital

Montreal -- June 12, 2006 : And the winner is…The Intensive Ambulatory Care Service, The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC.

On Monday June 12, it will be announced that the Intensive Ambulatory Care Service (IACS) of the MCH is the winner of the newly created Rotman Award for Paediatric Home Care Innovation. The Honourable Tony Clement, minister of Health, will announced the award recipient during a ceremony in Toronto . Health care professionals from The Children's and Montreal children treated by IACS will attend this event. The Rotman award was created by SickKids Foundation and made possible thanks to a generous donation from Janis Rotman.

The Intensive Ambulatory Care Service (IACS) of the Montreal Children's Hospital specializes in offering alternatives to hospitalization for children with chronic and or complex illnesses requiring specialized care. The IACS team provides the necessary support to treat patients in their homes. Some of the children benefiting from the IACS include kids with hemophilia, thalassemias, and neuromuscular disorders. Care is also offered to children who are immuno-compromised, oxygen dependent; as well as those with organ transplants, and children requiring palliative care. Intravenous drug therapy is offered to children for short and long term illnesses.

“The Children’s has been a world leader and innovator in homecare for children. Getting children home as quickly and safely as possible has been a mandate of this service since the 1960’s. Today, we care for some 500 children with special needs in their homes,” says Dr. Hema Patel, director of IACS. “Studies have shown that prolonged hospitalization is detrimental to children in many ways. Furthermore, we know parents and caregivers are willing and able to care for their children in their own homes despite complex medical needs.”

“The Children’s is very proud to be the first recipient of the annual Rotman Award. On behalf of the hospital and the entire IACS team, I sincerely thank Janis Rotman and the SickKids Foundation for their generosity,” says Dr. Geoffrey Dougherty, director of the Division of General Pediatrics. "Thanks to this very award homecare will flourish across Canada benefiting many children.”

The Montreal Children’s gratefully accepts the award of $100,000 and will use this money to expand its services by developing interactive, educational workshops that enable others to provide high quality home care. IACS will target three groups of particular interest: community healthcare providers such as pediatricians and CLSC nurses; pediatric hospital centres; and caregivers of Mohawk, Cree and Inuit children in Quebec . The IACS team will work with these groups to facilitate the care of children with complex medical needs and share the lessons we have learned over the years.

The Rotman Award is the first Canadian award of its kind and the largest bestowed upon a non-profit organization. It seeks to foster and further pediatric home care. Awarded annually, $100,000 will be given to one institution whose vision and practices reflect the very best in pediatric home care. The goal of the award is to acknowledge and reward the winning institution for its innovation in home and community care practices, to promote the practices of the winning organization so that other organizations may learn from their best practices, and to further encourage excellence in the winning organization.

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For additional information or to arrange an interview with a health expert or child treated by IACS, please contact:

Susan McLennan Babble On Communication Representing SickKids

Ph (416) 699-1846
Email: [email protected] [1]

Lisa Dutton
Manager PRC
The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC
514) 412-4307

The children who will attend Monday’s ceremony are:

Mathew Beare 13-year-old boy followed by IACS since 1998 . He was in a severe lawnmower tractor accident and lost significant portions of his small and large intestines, essentially developing a "short gut". He has required gastrostomy tube ("G-tube") feeds and home parenteral nutrition ("TPN") through a central line since that time. His parents manage both the G-tube feeds and the central line TPN therapy, timing it such that Mathew leads a near normal life, attending school regularly, playing sports and helping do chores on the family farm. His parents have adapted his room at home (we have photos) so that he can receive his therapies while sleeping in his own bed. While the family live distant from the IACS centre, we have used our on call phone system on several occasions to do long distance problem solving for the family. Mathew is excited to come to Toronto – it will be his first time on an airplane! He will be traveling with his mother Carole Vachon. Both are bilingual.

Virginie Laurendeau is a 11-year-old girl followed by IACS since 2002 when she received a cardiac transplant because of a congenital restrictive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She has fully reintegrated back into "regular" life, attends school daily and is an accomplished musician (plays clarinet and will be prepared to play a piece at the ceremonies) and athlete (she competed in the Transplant Olympics last year and was a multi-medal winner). She speaks some English and will come with her mother Mme Ouellette who is fully bilingual. They have had the experience of using the IACS on call service while on a Caribbean cruise!

They will be available to speak with the media in Montreal until Saturday and then on Tuesday June 13. News reports can run on Monday.