Sinai Health announces $2 million investment in senior care

The donation will allow Sinai Health to expand the number of acute care for elders medical units at Mount Sinai Hospital, provide hospital-level acute care in the homes of eligible older patients and expand the emergency department-based nursing program to weekends to help more seniors avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

It will also allow Sinai Health to harness technology to enable older adults and their primary caregivers to access the expertise of geriatrics specialists via video-conferencing technology for appointments.

The Slaight Family Foundation gift is part of a larger $15 million donation to 13 Toronto hospitals and four national organizations. This gift is in addition to a $15 million donation announced in June to the United Way Greater Toronto, also in support of initiatives focused on seniors.

“This investment from The Slaight Family Foundation will mean expanded hospital and community partnerships leading to innovative models of care and a better experience for our older patients,” said Dr. Gary Newton, CEO of Sinai Health. “On behalf of Sinai Health and all the hospitals that will benefit from this initiative, thank you to The Slaight Family Foundation for your generosity and support.”

The Slaight Family Foundation’s Seniors Initiative supports the creation of new models of care between hospitals and community partners and enables new and increased support to seniors. It also aims at reducing emergency visits of seniors to hospitals, providing needed support to caregivers and developing new models of healthcare using innovative technology to support seniors in their own homes.

“Seniors are the fastest growing demographic, yet a very under-supported sector,” said Gary Slaight of The Slaight Family Foundation. “Finding new ways of assisting seniors, particularly those who have trouble accessing our health and social services due to poverty or other barriers, is essential to helping keep seniors healthier longer and in their own communities.”

The Slaight Family Foundation was established in 2008 by John Allan Slaight. Allan Slaight is known as Canada’s broadcast pioneer, music leader and a prominent Canadian philanthropist.

“This ground-breaking gift is only possible due to our father Allan Slaight’s foresight, business acumen and philanthropic leadership,” Gary Slaight said. “We hope these new models and programs will serve as change agents in moving seniors health care forward for years to come.”

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About Sinai Health Foundation

Sinai Health Foundation, with its partners Arthritis Research Foundation and Bridgepoint Foundation, raises and stewards funds to support Sinai Health System. Sinai Health System is Canada’s leading integrated health system and comprises Bridgepoint Active Healthcare; Circle of Care; Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute; and Mount Sinai Hospital, Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Health Complex. The generous support of our community fuels everything we do from seamless care to scientific discovery. To learn more, visit supportsinai.ca.

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About The Slaight Family Foundation

The Slaight Family Foundation takes a strategic approach to philanthropy, addressing specific issues facing society in partnership with multiple organizations at the same time. The Slaight Family Seniors Initiative is the 5th major funded initiative supporting a number of organizations on the same theme in hopes of gaining quicker and improved results in a variety of sectors. Previous initiatives included $50 million in 2013 to five hospitals in Toronto to support the delivery of advanced healthcare; $7 million in 2015 to seven Canadian NGOs to support Canada’s lifesaving efforts in global humanitarianism; $11 million to support the healthy development of children and youth across Canada via 11 national organizations; and $12 million in 2017 to 15 charities and national organizations working to improve the physical, mental and social well-being of Canada’s Indigenous populations.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Amanda Ferguson
Manager, Public Relations
Sinai Health Foundation
416-586-4800 ext. 8454
[email protected]