A year of progress on exceptional projects
It’s already been one year since we launched our major campaign, Act Faster Than Disease. We’re now more optimistic than ever as we embark on year two of the campaign. We owe this trust in the future to you—our dedicated donors, partners and volunteers. All of your donations, big and small, helped power innovative projects and achievements that are already benefiting thousands of CHUM patients.
Here are just some of the major breakthroughs that you have made possible.
Cardio F and the Pharmaprix research project
The CHUM’s centre of expertise in women’s cardiovascular health, Cardio F, joined forces with 15 pharmacist owners affiliated with Pharmaprix to develop a pilot project providing better follow-up care to women who were diagnosed with preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.
These conditions can develop during pregnancy but may continue postpartum, with the potential to cause new chronic health issues. Proper postpartum monitoring is crucial. However, because new mothers tend to prioritize their newborn’s needs over their own, they need a more customized way of getting care. This is the idea behind offering follow up care in pharmacies, where new mothers already have to go in order to buy things for their babies.
The first 100-woman cohort has been recruited to assess the benefits of highly specialized postnatal care and a community pharmacy program. Outcomes for these women will be compared to outcomes for women who did not take part in the project.
Learn more about this initiative here.
Indigenous well being
Your donations have had a real impact: CHUM patients from Indigenous communities are more comfortable with the care staff, their needs are better understood, their treatment options are more personalized and they enjoy better continuity of care.Depuis le déploiement du projet, on peut remarquer une réduction des départs avant la prise en charge ainsi que des refus de traitement. On voit aussi une augmentation de l’assiduité aux rendez-vous de suivi et des inscriptions à l’offre de services du CHUM.
Since this project began, fewer patients have been refusing treatment or leaving before receiving care. Attendance at follow up appointments and registrations for the services offered by the CHUM have also improved.
There is still work to be done, but enthusiasm for the new services is palpable: other CHUM units, Indigenous organizations and even government agencies want to become part of the project and share its tools.
In the coming months, your donations to the major campaign will help bring in a variety of essential human resources, including interpreters and Indigenous healers. They will also help the CHUM provide other material resources, including Indigenous foods at the CHUM cafeteria and multilingual signs to welcome Indigenous visitors to hospital spaces.
A city without hepatitis C
Your donations are getting us closer to Métropole sans HépC (MSHC)’s goal of making Montréal the first city in North America to eradicate the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which currently affects some 34,000 Montrealers.
MSHC has implemented a variety of initiatives that achieved a record number of 1,236 HCV and STBBI interventions over the past year. These included screening tests, awareness blitzes in at risk communities and patient follow ups.
Thanks to your donations, a clinic will open downtown to provide customized walk in care to drug users infected with HCV and anyone else who is interested in the service and lacks access to healthcare resources. The clinic will provide same day care and diagnoses from care providers.
A van will also be purchased in the near future to bring the MSHC clinic’s services to vulnerable populations in other Montréal neighbourhoods.
Visit agirplusvite.ca/en to find out about other projects where you’ve made a difference.
