'Deeply grateful': Melanie Kohn reflects on her first year as President and CEO at Michael Garron Hospital

Dear colleagues, 

Today marks the anniversary of my first year as President and CEO at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). Words cannot express how proud I am to be a part of this organization. 

I am very grateful to our staff, physicians, volunteers, learners, community members, partners, neighbours and donors for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel at home in East Toronto. All of you contribute meaningfully to MGH each day to ensure that the people in our catchment area and beyond receive high-quality and compassionate care. 

Over the last 12 months, we have accomplished many memorable and groundbreaking milestones and I am inspired by how these will improve the health and well-being of our community. These milestones include: 

• The opening of the Thorncliffe Park Youth Wellness Hub, which offers a variety of integrated walk-in services for youth, including mental health and substance use supports, employment and settlement services, trades training and social programs; 
• The opening of The Rands Family Simulation Centre, which provides patient-care simulation, technical skills training and on-site team simulations in a safe, reproducible and supportive environment; 
• The launch of a newly renovated space for our Child and Youth Mental Health Outpatient Unit, which gives children and youth in the community the opportunity to access multiple mental health services in one refreshed space; and   
• The groundbreaking at the Thorncliffe Park Community Hub, a new 67,000-square-foot multi-service and community-centred space at East York Town Centre where Thorncliffe Park residents will be able to access health and social services, programs and community spaces.   

In addition, we further developed our partnerships to address our rapidly growing community’s needs. We joined a regional partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Extensive Needs Service Program alongside Grandview Kids and Surrey Place. We celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Toronto Regional Arthroplasty Collaborative (TRAC) and the Long Stay Critical Care Program, as well as the launches of the wait time clocks in the Stavro Emergency Department (ED), the Safewards Model of Care, and Voyce, an on-demand medical interpretation service. 

We also continued to strengthen our collaborative model with member organizations from our Ontario Health Team, East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP), through programs such as Health Access Taylor-Massey, Atrium at Kew Beach Unit and MGH2Home, as well as the already noted Thorncliffe Park Youth Wellness Hub and Thorncliffe Park Community Hub. 

At MGH, we are a system player. We share the belief that we are here to improve population health and we will do so by continuously working with our partners along the continuum of care – from acute care to community. This is how we demonstrate our leadership and the promise of the healthcare system in Ontario.  

We will chart the course for the future of our hospital as we start to embark on the creation of our next Strategic Plan. This will include our bold vision for the future. This will be a key priority this year and it will take the entire MGH team to get us there.   

Once again, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our outstanding team who make a difference every day for those who live, work and receive care at MGH and across ETHP. Thank you for your advice and support during my first year. I am deeply grateful to collaborate with such innovative and passionate individuals and I am so excited to see what the future holds for our East Toronto community and beyond.  

With sincere thanks, 

Melanie 

Melanie Kohn 
President and CEO 
Michael Garron Hospital