Massive investment by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to St. Joseph’s Health Care London is largest-ever grant to transform occupational illness and injury
A “game-changer” investment of $65.75 million to Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph’s Health Care London will transform the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of workplace injuries and illness for Ontarians.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s visionary 10-year commitment is the WSIB's largest-ever research injection; the largest non-government health research funding in London history; and the biggest single grant received and stewarded by St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation.
The investment will launch the Occupational Injury Prevention and Treatment Research Network – a first-in-Canada hub where people, technology and science-backed innovation will help solve the human and health costs of occupational injury and illness across Ontario and around the world.
Landmark work, global leadership
“This is a game-changer, something that will transform how we work together to get ahead of work-related injury, pain and mental illness,” says Lisa Porter, PhD, Vice-President Research at St. Joseph’s and Scientific director of Lawson, the research arm of St. Joseph's.
“This investment will propel us to global leadership in finding solutions to some of the most pervasive issues affecting people in workplaces today,” Porter says.
Occupational injuries and illnesses – including chronic pain, physical disability and mental health conditions – accounted for more than 93,000 claims registered through the WSIB last year, with an average lost work time of 63.2 days.
Occupational injuries and illnesses – including chronic pain, physical disability and mental health conditions – have a significant impact on many people, families and businesses in Ontario. Every year they account for almost 250,000 claims registered through the WSIB, with benefit payments of approx. $2.5 billion.
“Too many Ontario families experience the human cost of workplace injury,” says Jeffery Lang, President and CEO of the WSIB. “We want fewer injuries to happen, and if they do, to be able to help people with a safe and faster recovery. This research is going to help get us there and with their established expertise, the St. Joseph’s Health Care and Lawson Research Institute team are a natural partner for this important work.”
Investment and innovation
The network will innovate long-term solutions to prevent mental and physical injuries, accelerate recovery and ensure sustainable health for Ontario workers.
It will feature state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise including:
- A first-in-Canada positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imagery (PET/MRI) scanner dedicated to research into rapid and accurate diagnosis of mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress and depression
- A cutting-edge Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN), a unique, virtual-reality environment that will test and solve workplace injury, rehabilitation and chronic pain in new ways
- Three new endowed research Chairs and teams of scientists solving the most critical research questions plaguing people injured at work, an investment that will ensure long-term consistency and sustainability of the work
- Deploying technology in data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, making the network accessible by centres and workplaces across Canada
Rapid-access research area to design and test assistive devices such as splints and mobility technology
St. Joseph’s President and CEO Roy Butler says, “We know that discovery-driven, patient-focused research improves lives – that is the focus of our hospital-based research at Lawson, and we’re humbled that the WSIB has entrusted us to expand this vital work to minimize the effects of workplace injury, disease and disability. This significant investment will drive innovation opportunities that will translate into novel new treatments and tools that can be used to battle workplace injury and illness”
“This investment will enable us to leverage the deep expertise St. Joseph’s already has in mental health, chronic pain and rehabilitation, and creates the opportunity to expand our knowledge to support workplace wellness, including for frontline health-care workers,” Butler says.
Butler adds that the network will strengthen existing partnerships and create new collaborations – within St. Joseph’s as well as among a wide range of health professionals, researchers, post-secondary institutions and industry locally, across the province and nationally.
Butler notes St. Joseph’s already excels in research and treatment for related injuries and illnesses.
That includes: preventing and treating chronic pain through the hospital’s Pain Management Program and the Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity hand and upper limb care and injury prevention through the Roth | McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre; advanced imaging expertise; and mental health solutions for veterans and first responders at the MacDonald-Franklin OSI Research Centre. All are specialty research areas of St. Joseph’s with deep roots in addressing occupational injury and illness.
A partnership of promise
Many groundbreaking research initiatives at St. Joseph’s have been made possible by generous supporters of St. Joseph’s, says Michelle Campbell, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation.
Medical research in Canada, including the research done in our hospitals, relies heavily on private funding. Donors to our foundation, invest in research because they know that innovation leads to better frontline care, and healthier communities,” Campbell says.
“It’s a partnership of promise, a confident stride toward better outcomes for patients. The WSIB’s gift through St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation is a whole new level of leadership, and we’re proud to be integral to this transformation in workplace health,” says Campbell.
Earlier this year, the WSIB announced a $20-million gift to Fanshawe College to create a Centre of Excellence in Immersive Technology for Workplace Safety, primarily to help first responders and responders-in-training learn to prevent and treat occupation-related mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety and depression.
The Network at St. Joseph’s broadens that work to bring research-specific innovation aimed at benefiting the physical and mental wellbeing and safety of workers in all occupations.
The new hub at St. Joseph's will make use of the institution’s vast community and research partnerships throughout London and across Canada, in multiple collaborations across a wide range of health disciplines.
