December 2004
Angel continues to watch over St. Vincent’s Hospital
Lights of Hope Heralds Holiday Season
November 2004
St. Paul's Hospital Foundation's Lights of Hope
A Breath of Fresh Air
Independent Dialysis Program Improves Patients' Lives
July 2004
Study First to Firmly Establish Causes and Progression of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
Providence Team Wins National Award
Study Aims to Reduce Transplant Organ Rejection
April 2004
Test Could Improve HIV Patient Care
March 2004
VCH and Providence Announce Food Services Contract
PHC Offers Ethics Education
St. Vincent's Hospital, Heather Readying for Closure and Renewal
February 2004
HIV/AIDS Pioneer Retires: The Legacy of Dr. Michael O'Shaughnessy
New Hope for Heart Attacks: Enzyme-lowering Drugs Could Reduce Damage
January 2004
Cardiac Arrest Survival Improved
Cochlear Implant Program Expands
Angel continues to watch over St. Vincent’s Hospital
(December 2004)
The hospital may be closed, but the 20-foot angel on the roof of St. Vincent’s Hospital continues to watch over the Heather site this Christmas season.
Although the hospital was closed earlier this year in preparation for redevelopment of the site into a Campus of Care, an innovative model of elder care, the spirit of the 65-year old Catholic hospital remains alive through the ongoing efforts of St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation.
The angel is the symbol of the foundation’s annual Angel Campaign, which has inspired thousands of donations in support of seniors’ health care for the past 15 years. This year’s campaign goal is to raise $100,000.
“With pending redevelopment of St. Vincent’s, the community needs to know the hospital foundation is still here, actively raising funds for the care of our seniors,” explains Chris Stepien, chair of the St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation.
Over the past eight months, the foundation undertook a unique and profitable fundraising initiative to market the empty building as a film location through the BC Film Commission. Since April, US production companies have used St. Vincent’s Hospital as a backdrop for a number of feature films and made-for-television movies.
Angel Campaign fundraising continues through the month of December for St. Vincent's Hospital, Langara, Brock Fahrni Pavilion and Youville Residence. Donations will support the purchase of updated equipment at these residential care facilities including electric beds, portable blood pressure machines and sit-to-stand lifts. Funds will also be used for a tranquility garden at the Langara site and renovations of Marguerite Place at Youville Residence.
For more information on how to donate to St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation, call 604.877.3193 or visit the website at www.stvincentsfoundation.ca
Lights of Hope Heralds Holiday Season
(December 2004)
More than 600 people gathered on Burrard Street to see the Lights of Hope display switched on November 30.
This year’s display is brighter than ever, with more than eight kilometers of lights and 250 stars.
The display has become an annual tradition in the city and signals the beginning of the Christmas season for Vancouverites.
More than 200 volunteers spend the equivalent of 250 working days planning and building the display with materials provided by companies free of charge. The display will be lit up until January 5, 2005.
The display is part of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign and represents the community’s spirit of giving. The goal for this year is to raise $1.25 million. Since 1998, the Lights of Hope campaign has raised more than $4 million for equipment, research and improved patient care at St. Paul’s Hospital. This year’s donations will be used to help St. Paul’s equip a new room designed for specialized cardiac procedures in the hospital’s Heart Centre.
A 12"x18" fine art print of the Lights of Hope 2004 is now available from the Media Services Centre for $25. Media Services will donate $5 from the sale of each print to the St. Paul's Foundation Lights of Hope fund. Order your print from Brian Smith at 604-806-9273 (local 69273 ).
“I want to thank all of our staff, physicians and scientists who have contributed to this year’s campaign,” said Foundation Executive Director Jane Adams. “It’s heartening to see that we have so many familiar names on the display.”
Presenting sponsors for 2004 are Varshney Capital Corp, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation of Canada and National Bank Financial.
St. Paul's Hospital Foundation still needs $250,000 to reach the 2004 Lights of Hope goal of $1.25 million. To make a donation to this year's Lights of Hope, please visit www.helpstpauls.com or call 604-682-8206.
St. Paul's Hospital Foundation's Lights of Hope
(November 2004)
St. Paul’s Hospital’s Lights of Hope display is brighter than ever this year, with more than 8 km of lights and 250 stars gracing the façade of the hospital.
Created by more than 200 volunteers who donate their time and companies who provide materials free of charge, the display is part of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s annual Christmas fundraising campaign. The goal for Lights of Hope this year is $1.25 million.
Since 1998, the Lights of Hope campaign has raised more than $4 million for equipment, research and improved patient care at St. Paul’s Hospital. This year’s donations will be used to help St. Paul’s equip a new room designed for specialized cardiac procedures in the hospital’s Heart Centre.
Presenting sponsors for 2004 are Varshney Capital Corp, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation of Canada and National Bank Financial.
The lights will be on between November 30 and January 5. For more information about Lights of Hope, or to find out how you can make your own donation, visit www.helpstpauls.com
A Breath of Fresh Air
New Centre provides full spectrum of care for lung disease
(November 2004)
Patients will be able to breathe easier at Providence's new Pacific Lung Health Centre. The new Centre, located on the eighth floor at St. Paul's Hospital, is home to a state-of-the-art academic and ambulatory program for patients with respiratory disease.
Dr. Robert Levy, Head of the Division of Respirology at St. Paul's Hospital, says the program uses a strong multi-disciplinary approach to lung disease to develop innovative solutions for patients with chronic respiratory problems.
"Our goal is to bridge the gap between inpatient care and the community by delivering care beyond the walls of the institution," says Levy.
Chronic disease management provides patients a better quality of life and saves health-care resources by lowering instances of acute attacks that require expensive hospital stays.
With a major focus on clinical care and patient-oriented research, the program offers medical and surgical services in the full range of lung disease. The Centre houses research, lung function testing, clinics, patient-education services, pulmonary rehabilitation and subspecialty clinics such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis.
The new renovations of the floor allows researchers and medical doctors to work side-by-side while providing an excellent training opportunity for students interested in respiratory research and medicine.
"Before the Centre was created many of the physicians worked off-site," says Dr. Levy. "Now all of St. Paul's respirologists are brought together where the academic activity and teaching takes place."
Several PHC researchers from the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Pulmonary and Vascular Research and the Centre for Health Economic Outcome Studies (CHEOS) will be conducting studies in the Centre to unlock the mysteries of lung disease and improve treatment for patients.
Independent Dialysis Program Improves Patients' Lives
(November 2004)
Providence patients with end-stage kidney disease will be among those benefiting from a move to independent dialysis in an innovative new program announced this month.
Independent dialysis options, including home-based alternatives such nocturnal or short daily dialysis, are not only more convenient for patients, they also produce better medical outcomes and savings for the health system.
"Because patients can cleanse their blood more often or for longer periods of time, they reduce the negative effects of toxicity in the blood stream," says Dr. Adeera Levin, Executive Director of the BC Provincial Renal Agency and a leader in PHC's renal program. "Essentially, the dialysis treatment is more like the function of healthy kidneys."
The impact on patients can be life-transforming as they experience improved energy levels, a reduced need for medications, few if any dietary restrictions and fewer of the side-effects caused by traditional hemodialysis.
One of the first to be trained for independent dialysis is Jamie, 32, who now undergoes hemodialysis three times a week at PHC's North Shore Community Dialysis Unit. He's looking forward to resuming sports he's had to give up, like squash, hockey and running.
"The change will be significant," he says. "I'll be able to eat exactly what I want, have more energy, and feel better about myself."
Lee Clark, director of PHC's renal program, says Jamie is one of the lucky ones. Not every patient is suitable for independent dialysis, perhaps 10 per cent, depending if they meet a set of medical criteria.
"For those who meet the criteria for home care, it means much more control over their own health and wellbeing. It also allows them a more normal pattern of life, instead of visiting a clinic three times a week, 52 weeks a year," she says.
The new program was developed by the BC Provincial Renal Agency, part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, along with renal care providers across the province including Providence, which is BC's largest single provider of kidney care.
Sixty patients, including 14 at Providence, are expected to transition to independent dialysis options by spring 2005.
PHC serves about 600 dialysis patients, one out of every four in BC. As well as the unit at St. Paul's, Providence operates six community dialysis clinics: North Shore, Richmond, Squamish, Sechelt, Powell River and Vancouver (Cambie St.).
Study First to Firmly Establish Causes and Progression of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
(July 2004)
A study led by researchers at Providence Health Care has provided the most conclusive answers to date on the causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The study's results are published in the June 24, 2004 edition of New England Journal of Medicine.
By pinpointing the causes and progression of COPD, the study will help guide further research into possible treatments for the disease. There is no cure for COPD, which is the fifth most common cause of death in North America and the only leading cause of death that is rising in prevalence.
Researchers examined lung tissue taken from a large sample of surgical patients who were chronic smokers. They demonstrated that COPD is caused by an inflammatory immune response to the injuries inflicted on the lung by toxic gases and particles in cigarette smoke and air pollution. This response interferes with the natural defenses of the lung resulting in colonization and infection by a variety of bacteria and viruses. The repair process that attempts to control this lung damage forms scar tissue that thickens the airway walls and narrows the airway passages, producing the irreversible obstruction that characterizes late-stage COPD.
Medical science has long suspected that these processes were part of COPD, but this study is the first to clearly identify the disease progression using comprehensive data. This lays the groundwork for future research into the immune response displayed in COPD patients. Finding how to interfere with the immune response could halt the progression of the disease and provide the basis of future therapeutic interventions.
COPD refers to a number of chronic lung disorders that obstruct the airways. The most common form of COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Not all smokers and only 10-15% of heavy smokers will develop COPD. It is not known why. COPD can also result from occupational exposure to chemical fumes and organic dusts such as grain, cotton, or wood or mining dusts.
This research was funded in part by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Hogg, a researcher at the namesake James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul's Hospital and a Professor Emeritus of Pathology the University of British Columbia, was the lead author of the study, which was conducted with collaborators at the National Jewish Research and Medical Centre in Denver, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and the Baylor College of Medicine. St. Paul's is part of Providence Health Care, Canada's largest Catholic heath care organization.
For additional information, visit: www.icapture.ca
Providence Team Wins National Award
Clinic cited for improvements to care, efficiency
(July 2004)
Providence Health Care's Foot and Ankle Clinic has received the 3M Health Care Quality Team Award for Canada.
Awarded annually by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, this prominent health care industry accolade acknowledges successful, sustainable quality improvement projects that demonstrate high levels of innovation and outstanding teamwork.
The winner must exhibit considerable improvements in efficiency through a quality teamwork strategy, while improving the level of patient satisfaction.
The Foot and Ankle Clinic team was honoured for its clinical pathway that helped decrease foot and ankle surgery patients' hospital stays and increased efficiency, benefiting both patients and staff. The pathway brought together a range of disciplines with the common goal of streamlining the surgical process and reducing costs.
"The pathway initiative started with a simple idea of teams helping each other along the way while remaining patient-focused," says Colin Meakin, an orthopedic research coordinator at the Foot and Ankle Clinic. "The reason it did so well is because of the commitment of individuals to make the pathway work. The outcomes are a reflection of that commitment."
Using the "only ask them once" principle, the team coordinated pre-operative documentation to avoid time-consuming duplication of patient information by the different health care providers. The pathway results included a 50 per cent reduction of patient length-of-stay (reaching the target of 2.5 days) as well as a tremendous increase in patient satisfaction.
"There are so many benefits from this pathway. With the incredible consistency and efficiency of the new system, it's difficult to think back to what life was like before it," says Dr. Alastair Younger.
"So much of my time with patients was spent on paperwork. Patients would often leave the clinic feeling frustrated and ill-informed," he says. "Now I have more time to talk to them about things that really matter to them."
For more information on the Foot and Ankle clinic, visit www.bcfootandankle.com.
Study Aims to Reduce Transplant Organ Rejection
Examines why some patients fare better than others
(July 2004)
Organ transplantation is one of the miracles of medical science, but all too often patients' immune systems attack the very organ that's meant to save their lives.
Dr. Bruce McManus, co-director of the iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul's Hospital, is one of three researchers leading a project focused on reducing transplant organ rejection. The study recently received $9.1 million in funding from Genome Canada and other partners.
"One of the major problems facing clinical caregivers in the management of organ rejection is determining whether a transplanted organ is undergoing rejection," said McManus. "Most of the current methods for detecting rejection require the use of highly invasive, risky procedures like tissue biopsies. These expensive procedures cause emotional and physical discomfort to patients and may result in findings that are inconclusive."
To prevent organ rejection, powerful therapies are used to suppress a patient's immune system. This can leave the patient susceptible to infections and may cause functional complications in transplanted organs.
McManus and his fellow researchers will seek to better understand why individuals vary in their response to immunosuppression therapy. Understanding these different responses will help physicians and nurses to balance the necessity of therapy with its possible side effects. Personalizing therapy will ease patients" discomfort and undesirable side effects as well as reduce the enormous cost of over-prescribing immunosuppressive drugs.
Test Could Improve HIV Patient Care
Evaluation predicts adherence to treatment
(April 2004)
A psychological evaluation to determine whether HIV/AIDS patients will adhere to drug therapy could significantly improve health outcomes and result in more efficient use of health-care dollars, say BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS researchers developing the new measurement tool.
The semi-structured interview, comprising 40-plus set questions, will help identify any potential psychological barriers to adherence and address ways patients may overcome these challenges to optimize treatment. Interview results will not preclude patients from receiving treatment.
Drs. Victoria Alfonso and Dr. Josie Geller, clinical psychologists working at the centre, have completed in-depth interviews with a cross-section of HIV/AIDS patients to determine psychological barriers to adherence. Reported barriers included lack of social support, depression and being skeptical about the efficacy of the medications. Many patients interviewed were also wary of significant side effects from anti-HIV drugs.
The Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is developing a measurement tool based on its interview findings and a comprehensive audit of existing data on adherence, says Geller.
"Our research identified seven psychological variables that have been associated with adherence to drug treatment. We are now testing a measurement tool based on this research to determine its ability to predict when patients are ready for treatment," says Geller.
People with HIV are prescribed a complicated combination of drugs to suppress the disease. Complete adherence is key to therapeutic success. Partial adherence to an anti-HIV drug regimen poses a higher risk to patients of developing drug-resistant strains of the virus.
The study's work can be of great significance to HIV patients and the health-care system, says Dr. Julio Montaner, acting director of the Centre.
"This evaluation should help us improve health outcomes, increase adherence to HIV drugs and reduce drug resistance, while saving on medication costs," says Montaner.
The Centre approached Geller after she successfully developed a measurement tool for patients diagnosed with eating disorders. Geller's tool in this population predicted when patients were ready to begin treatment, whether they would drop out once enrolled and whether they would relapse six-months after leaving treatment.
The Centre project is considered to be the first in the HIV/AIDS field to develop and validate a comprehensive, psychological evaluation, says Geller.
"It is somewhat revolutionary to have psychologists involved in HIV/AIDS treatment because so much attention has been focused on medications. Our project is cutting-edge because it translates the experiences of individuals living with HIV into an empirical tool that can be used by health care providers," says Geller.
The Centre study is also initiating a pilot project to create an intervention that will help patients prepare for treatment. Patients will be encouraged to undergo brief counselling to target psychological barriers to adherence.
Founded in 1992 by St. Paul's Hospital and the provincial Ministry of Health, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is a key provincial resource seeking to improve the health of people with HIV through the development, ongoing monitoring and dissemination of comprehensive investigative and treatment programs for HIV and related diseases. St. Paul's Hospital is one of six health care facilities operated by Providence Health Care, Canada's largest faith-based health care organization.
VCH and Providence Announce Food Services Contract
(March 2004)
Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Providence Health Care (PHC) today announced a contract with Sodexho to provide patient and retail food services in their health facilities.
The 10-year, $330 million contract is expected to reduce the cost of patient and retail food services across VCH and Providence by around $12 million annually - a saving of more than $100 million over the term of the contract that will protect patient services in VCH and Providence.
It is the latest initiative from VCH's Value Improvement Network, or ValueIN, which was established to identify opportunities that will give British Columbians a health care system that provides high quality, patient-centered care while being both sustainable and affordable.
Under the contract, Sodexho will assume the current running of operations with food preparation continuing on-site. Enhancements to services will also be introduced over the coming months that are expected to improve retail choices for customers, while enhancing service and quality for patient and resident food.
The first phase of implementation begins in early-May. Among the sites included in the Sodexho contract are Richmond Hospital, UBC Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, Lions Gate Hospital, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, Powell River General, Squamish General, and St Mary's Hospital in Sechelt.
Sodexho is no stranger to the health field, providing food and other support services at various Canadian hospitals and residential care centres. The company has also made a commitment to interview existing VCH food services staff for positions before recruiting on the open market, while VCH has developed a comprehensive program of transition services for impacted employees, including a Transition Resource Centre located at the George Pearson Centre in Vancouver.
Today's announcement is the culmination of a lengthy public tender process that began in 2003. VCH and Providence currently have around 1,300 employees in food services providing more than 15,000 patient meals every day - many with special diet requirements - as well as operating 12 major food retail outlets in its hospitals and facilities at an annual budget of $49 million.
VCH is responsible for the delivery of around $1.9 billion in acute, residential and community care to more than one million people in communities from Richmond through Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky area, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola. VCH provides 46% of all inpatient hospital care in British Columbia.
PHC Offers Ethics Education
(March 2004)
Conference Looks at Health Care Ethics
Conference (open to everyone)
One Day Only - April 2, 2004
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
The Empire Landmark Hotel
1400 Robson St., Vancouver
This valuable one-day ethics conference, offered by PHC Ethics Services, will provide a great opportunity to network with others interested in clinical ethics. Enjoy informed speakers presenting on important topics, plus have a chance to join in discussions on pivotal issues in clinical, organizational and research ethics.
Who should attend?
Interested individuals working within the clinical or administrative setting in BC's health system.
Registration Process
To register for this conference, please contact Perminder Sihota by email at: psihota@providencehealth.bc.ca or by phone at (604) 806-8528, with the following information: name, organization, email address, telephone contact.
Registration Deadline is March 23, 2004
Fees:
PHC Staff (who are not ethics mentors): $50.00
Non-PHC Staff: $125.00
Payment:
Cheques only please, made out to:
PHC Ethics Services.
Mail registration fee to:
PHC Ethics Services, Providence Health Care,
1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 1Y6.
*Please mail cheque after registration.
Conference Highlights:
Speakers:
- Dr. Tim Christie (PHC),
- Bashir Jiwani (PHC),
- Dr. Michael McDonald (UBC)
- Dr. Patricia Rodney (UVic),
- Dr. Rosalie Starzomski (UVic)
Topics:
- Ethics and informed consent
- Informed consent in the research context
- Dealing with moral distress in times of
systemic change
- Making sense of the business of health care
Conference (for PHC Ethics Mentors)
The Empire
Landmark Hotel
1400 Robson St., Vancouver
April 1 - 2, 2004
8:30 am - 4 pm
This important two-day seminar is aimed at new and continuing PHC ethics mentors. It will provide an orientation to the role of mentors, an introduction to clinical bioethics, and an opportunity to learn about and discuss important issues facing PHC staff with other ethics mentors. There is no cost to mentors for this event. Don't miss it!
Who and where are PHC Ethics Mentors?
PHC Ethics Mentors are selected by their leaders to serve as first lines of support for PHC staff when ethical issues arise. It is hoped that every clinical and administrative group/team/unit/program within Providence Health Care will have at least one ethics mentor. All leaders are encouraged to identify ethics mentors for their respective areas and support their participation in this learning opportunity.
Integration of SVH staff
With the closing of St Vincent's Heather, it is important to consider how the staff integration process will incorporate ethics training/ orientation. Leaders are encouraged to use this opportunity to orient new staff to the ethics review process used for their areas.
Conference Highlights:
Day 1 led by Bashir Jiwani, PHC Ethicist
Topics:
- Introduction to the Ethics Network and your role as mentor
- Introduction to concepts and frameworks for ethical decision-making
Day 2 Speakers:
- Dr. Tim Christie (PHC),
- Dr. Michael McDonald (UBC),
- Dr. Patricia Rodney (UVic),
- Dr. Rosalie Starzomski (UVic)
Topics:
- Ethics and informed consent
- Informed consent in the research context
- Dealing with moral distress in times of systemic change
- Withholding and withdrawing treatment - questions of tube feeding
- Making sense of the business of health care
To register for this conference, please contact Perminder Sihota by email at
psihota@providencehealth.bc.ca or by phone at (604) 806-8528 with the following information: name, PHC site and program/unit/area, sponsoring leader, email address and telephone contact.
Registration Deadline is March 23, 2004
Draft Agenda
PHC Ethics Mentor Seminar
Day 1: For New And Returning Mentors
Thursday, April 1, 2004
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker |
|
8:30 |
Welcome and Introduction |
Bashir Jiwani |
|
8:45 |
The Ethics Network: Your Role as Mentors |
Bashir Jiwani |
|
10:00 |
Break |
|
|
10:20 |
Ethics 101 - An Overview |
Bashir Jiwani |
|
12:00 |
Lunch |
|
|
1:00 |
A Framework for Ethical Decision-Making |
Bashir Jiwani |
|
2:00 |
Practising the Framework |
Small Groups |
|
2:45 |
Break |
|
|
3:00 |
Being in the Trenches: Voices of Experience Panel of Returning Ethics Mentors |
|
|
4:00 |
Questions from the floor |
|
Ethics Mentor Seminar
Day 2: New & Returning Mentors, PHC Staff & Non-PHC Personnel
Friday, April 2, 2004
|
Time |
Title |
Speaker |
|
8:30 |
Welcome and Introduction |
Bashir Jiwani |
|
8:45 |
The Ins and Outs of Informed Consent |
Tim Christie |
|
10:00 |
Break |
|
|
10:30 |
Workshops 1:
Informed Consent in the Research Context |
Tim Christie |
|
|
Moral Distress in the Context of Systemic Change |
Paddy Rodney |
|
|
Withholding and Withdrawing Treatment - Questions of Tube Feeding |
Rosalie Starzomski |
|
1:00 |
Workshops 2:
Informed Consent in the Research Context |
Tim Christie |
|
|
Moral Distress in the Context of Systemic Change |
Paddy Rodney |
|
|
Withholding and Withdrawing Treatment - Questions of Tube Feeding |
Rosalie Starzomski |
|
2:30 |
Break |
|
|
2:50 |
Ethics and Business in the Healing Environment |
Michael McDonald |
|
3:45 |
Questions from the floor |
|
|
4:00 |
Adjourn |
|
St. Vincent's Hospital, Heather
Readying for Closure and Renewal
(March 2004)
As previously announced, Providence Health Care's St. Vincent's Hospital, Heather site at 749 W 33rd Ave. is closing. Its clinical programs and services are being transferred to Providence's St. Paul's Hospital (SPH) and Mount St. Joseph Hospital (MSJH).
Most of the transfers will be finalized by Monday, March 15, 2004. The last day for the hospital's Urgent Care Clinic is also March 15th (8 p.m. closing).
The closure of the hospital and consolidation of its programs at other sites will save taxpayers $10 million annually. Providence plans to redevelop the Heather site into an innovative new "campus-of-care" facility, focusing on elder care.
The campus-of-care is envisioned to provide a range of services that may include independent living, complex residential care, rehabilitative services, palliative and special "seniors-focused" out patient clinics.
St. Vincent's Hospital, Heather has been an extremely important community partner, serving millions of patients since its inception in 1939 by the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception. The site's renewal is in its conceptual phase. Providence's plans will include extensive future public information sessions as the plans for the site evolve.
HIV/AIDS Pioneer Retires
The Legacy of Dr. Michael O'Shaughnessy
(February 2004)
Vancouver, January 22, 2003 - Dr. Michael O'Shaughnessy, one of Canada's leading scientists in HIV/AIDS and a passionate advocate for people who are HIV-positive, retires at the end of this month as Vice-President at Providence Health Care. He also recently stepped down as director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
O'Shaughnessy's retirement brings an end to an accomplished career largely defined by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. While at the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control in Ottawa in 1984, O'Shaughnessy became the first Canadian scientist to isolate and work with the virus. He went on to become director general of the Federal Centre for AIDS before assuming the post of director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in 1992.
"When I came here in 1991, once people with HIV got their AIDS diagnosis, they would likely be dead within two years. We had no real treatment to offer them," says O'Shaughnessy, 59. "Since then, we have put a system in place at the BC Centre for Excellence that permits individuals in this province to get treatment that is better than any other place in this country. Now, life expectancy can be up to 20 years."
O'Shaughnessy says, "it's just the right time" to pass the torch to younger investigators who bring new energy and perspective to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Under O'Shaughnessy's leadership, the centre created a world-class drug treatment program to distribute antiretroviral and anti-opportunistic drugs at no cost to HIV-infected residents of BC; was the country's first facility to use triple-drug therapy in a publicly funded plan; published the first HIV Treatment Guidelines in North America to detail how and when to use HIV drugs; and became the first facility to develop and implement resistance testing for people nationwide. The centre has evolved into a unique public-health model combining patient care, cutting-edge research and education.
O'Shaughnessy, who received the Order of BC in 1998, is highly regarded as an advocate for persons who are HIV-positive, many of whom face stigma and prejudice. He has also spoken out in support of controversial harm-reduction measures for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, including needle exchange programs, supervised injection sites and a proposed heroin maintenance study. Maxine Davis, executive director of the Dr. Peter Centre, says his influence will be greatly missed.
"The HIV/AIDS community has counted on him to speak out when controversial new ideas need support. He reminds everyone to consider what is socially just," says Davis. "I'm sure we only vaguely grasp the enormity of his influence on HIV/AIDS policy direction in this country."
Founded in 1992 by St. Paul's Hospital and the Provincial Ministry of Health, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS seeks to improve the health of people with HIV through the development, ongoing monitoring, and dissemination of comprehensive investigative and treatment programs for HIV and related diseases.
In January 2001, O'Shaughnessy was appointed Vice-President, Provincial Programs and Research/Academic Affairs at Providence Health Care, a portfolio that included specialty clinical programs in heart, kidney and HIV diseases as well as research and teaching conducted in affiliation with the University of British Columbia. St. Paul's Hospital is one of seven health care facilities operated by Providence Health Care, Canada's largest faith-based health care organization.
New Hope for Heart Attacks
Enzyme-lowering drugs could reduce damage
(Febraury 2004)
Vancouver, Jan. 19, 2004 - Drugs already in common use for conditions such as gastric ulcers could help reduce the damage caused by heart attacks by as much as 60 per cent, according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The study suggests these drugs could also potentially benefit patients in such diverse situations as stroke, open-heart surgery and organ transplantation.
Dr. David Granville, a researcher at Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia, was the lead author of the study, which was conducted with principal investigator Dr. Roberta Gottlieb and other collaborators at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.
In this study, the researchers demonstrated that lowering levels of a type of naturally occurring enzymes known as CYP mono-oxygenases can significantly reduce the damage to the heart muscle caused by the processes of ischemia and reperfusion that occur during heart attacks.
If a heart attack restricts blood supply to the heart for more than several minutes, the lack of oxygen, or ischemia, can result in severe and permanent heart muscle damage. To prevent further damage, blood flow must be restored rapidly so the muscle can receive adequate oxygen and nutrients, a process known as reperfusion. Paradoxically, the process of reperfusion itself can also lead to further organ damage, a problem that has puzzled scientists for decades.
Drugs that suppress the CYP enzymes could reduce the damage associated with reperfusion that occurs when treating heart attacks, while increasing critically needed coronary blood flow. They could potentially be used for other diseases and surgical procedures where reperfusion injury also poses major problems¾including stroke, organ transplantation, coronary bypass surgeries and balloon angioplasties — or could even be used to help prevent heart attacks.
There are already a number of commercially available drugs currently used for other purposes that are known to suppress CYP enzymes. These include cimetidine, prescribed for gastric ulcers, and the antibiotic chloramphenicol. However, this research needs to be confirmed in clinical trials before these drugs are used in cardiac care.
Dr. Granville is a recently recruited Canada Research Chair, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and new professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul's Hospital and the University of British Columbia. St. Paul's is part of Providence Health Care, Vancouver's Catholic heath care organization. The research was funded in part by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institutes of Health.
Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the leading cause of death in North America with over 500,000 people suffering from this condition annually. In Canada alone, it is estimated that there are over 70,000 heart attacks each year.
Cardiac Arrest Survival Improved
Volunteers save lives with defibrillators
(January 2004)
A North American-wide study that included researchers at St. Paul's Hospital has found that the number of cardiac arrest survivors markedly increased when victims were helped by community volunteers trained to use an a device that shocks an ineffectively beating heart back into normal rhythm.
The Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Trial¾the world's largest test of public access defibrillation¾was held to determine whether deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations would increase survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
"The results of this study tell us that AEDs can be used safely and effectively by trained laypersons and can significantly improve the rate of survival of unexpected cardiac arrest," said Dr. Jim Christenson, director of research in the Emergency Department of St. Paul's, part of Providence Health Care. Dr. Christenson coordinated the local study and evaluated its results.
Public access defibrillators are seen as a promising way of improving emergency treatment for victims of cardiac arrest, which claims about 30,000 Canadian lives each year. About one of every four deaths from sudden cardiac arrest takes place outside of hospital.
In the Vancouver phase of the trial, more than 1,000 volunteers were trained and AEDs placed in about 60 community locations, including shopping malls, office towers, golf courses, casinos and major hotels. Twenty-eight cardiac arrests were treated, with six patients surviving.
"AEDs can double the rate of survival in areas with ambulance response, such as those included in this study. One of the most important conclusions is that volunteers can use AEDs safely and effectively and in locations where there is no ambulance response, such as airplanes, ferries, ski hills and other locations where volunteer AED response provides the only hope of survival," Dr. Christenson said.
The Vancouver arm of the study was supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Yukon.
Cochlear Implant Program Expands
Number of deaf patients served will double
(January 2004)
The number of deaf patients receiving cochlear implants at St. Paul's Hospital will more than double thanks to new funding of $1.3 million per year from the Ministry of Health Services.
Cochlear implants are electronic devices that improve sound detection and understanding by directly stimulating the auditory nerve. They are used for people who are either born deaf or develop severe to profound hearing loss, giving deaf adults access to spoken language and other sounds.
The new funding will significantly reduce wait times for this life-changing surgery from the current level of up to five years down to a maximum of one year.
"Profound deafness is so isolating that no hearing person can truly imagine what it means to be totally deprived of sound," said Dr. Sipke Pijl, Director of Providence Health Care's Department of Audiology.
"The benefits of cochlear implants, for appropriate candidates, are so far-reaching as to be incalculable. Patients experience dramatic improvements with their ability to communicate and in their quality of life. They can once again be part of the world of sound that we take so much for granted," Pijl said.
St. Paul's was the site of Canada's first cochlear implant in 1982 and it now home to BC's program for adult patients.
