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It was a diagnosis that came as a shock for 28-year-old Mitch Kuska who found out he had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at the age of 26.  “I went from being a young 26-year-old doing regular things, to having to learn about this disease and everything that goes along with it and how it will affect my life." Kuska, an avid cyclist, says knowing that one day he may not be able to physically do the things he loves has been the hardest part of his MS journey so far.  “The scariest part for sure is the uncertainty, because I don’t know what the future holds for me. Before I could look into the future and feel for the most part that I would be healthy.”

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From his doctors, Kuska learned about a study being conducted with London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) patients by a group of hospital researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of London’s hospitals. They were examining the use of mindfulness as a possible tool for newly diagnosed relapsing MS (RMS) patients. Mindfulness is a type of meditation that focuses on being intensely aware of senses and feelings in the moment.

“It can be a stressful time for people as they have just been diagnosed with a chronic neurological disease that will last the rest of their life,” says Dr. Sarah Morrow, Neurologist and Associate Scientist at Lawson.

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“We do find that there is an increase in anxiety and depression for people with MS, especially depression. In fact, the rates are three times higher for people with MS compared to other neurological disease.” Dr. Morrow is also the Director of the London MS Clinic at LHSC.

As part of the study, 24 newly diagnosed RMS patients were recruited including Kuska. Participants were split up into two groups, either the treatment group or the control group. The treatment group took part in ten sessions of the Mindfulness Without Borders program.

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“Mindfulness is bringing people into the moment rather than worrying about what could happen in the future or thinking about what happened in the past,” says Dr. Arlene MacDougall, Psychiatrist and Lawson Scientist. “It’s about centering yourself and gaining a sense of control of how you will respond rather than react to what is happening inside or outside of you.” 

The participants were evaluated before the sessions and then six months later to see if there was a difference between the two groups. “Immediately after the sessions when we compared the two groups, those in the mindfulness were reporting better coping skills and less perceived stress, and their symptoms of depression had been reduced,” adds Dr. Morrow.

“During the study treatment, I definitely noticed myself being more mindful of my symptoms. Sensing little changes in my body and little feelings here and there,” explains Kuska. “I was more in tune with myself and I felt this mindfulness tool helped me get into the right mindset to start dealing with MS.”

Following these initial findings published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, the London research team plans to examine them in a larger study. They are also working to examine if the use of mindfulness would be helpful for people who are in the more progressive stages of MS.  

 

A first-of-its-kind study led by Lawson Health Research Institute is receiving $1.2 million in funding from the federal government, delivered through the Veteran Homelessness Program, to better understand homelessness amongst women in Canada who are military Veterans.

“This is an important and yet often invisible problem,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Lawson Assistant Scientific Director based at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute and the study lead. “This is the first Canadian study to focus exclusively on women Veterans’ experience of homelessness. Gender matters, especially when we’re talking about female Veterans who are homeless. If they’ve experienced sexual trauma or abuse or have children, and the only Veteran housing available is a group setting for men, that will be an issue.”

Dr. Forchuk and her team have begun travelling to cities and towns across Canada to conduct interviews with female Veterans experiencing homelessness or who have previously experienced homelessness. They will gather data such as demographics, history of housing and homelessness, and services accessed. The team will also host focus groups with homeless- and Veteran-serving agency staff. The locations have been selected in partnership with The Royal Canadian Legion and other Veteran-serving groups, focusing on areas with pockets of female Veterans experiencing homelessness. 

“We will also explore the pathways and experiences of homelessness, what barriers are faced, what has been helpful and what future services should focus on,” adds Dr. Forchuk.

“This study is a vital step towards addressing the unique challenges faced by female Veterans experiencing homelessness,” says Peter Fragiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for London North Centre on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “By investing in research like this, we are making significant progress in understanding and improving the support systems for this population, contributing to the federal government's efforts to end homelessness among Veterans.”

“This significant investment reflects our dedication to addressing the issue of homelessness among female Veterans,” says Arielle Kayabaga, Member of Parliament for London West. “By supporting this pioneering study, we aim to uncover the specific barriers they face and develop targeted solutions that honour their service and ensure they receive the support they deserve.”

The goal of the four-year study is to ensure there is accurate data to inform gender-specific interventions and guidelines for policy, practice and care of female Veterans. Canadian Armed Forces Veterans make up a disproportionate percentage of those experiencing homelessness according to a 2018 report.

“It is clear that the circumstances surrounding this particular subset of our Veteran population are not well enough understood,” says Carolyn Hughes, Director of Veterans Services with The Royal Canadian Legion. “It is our hope that this project will help fill in some of those blanks and at the same time, further enlighten all of us who serve Veterans, so that we may provide even more timely and focused assistance when and where it’s needed most.”

St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute has an embedded legacy of Veterans’ care, having originally been a Veterans’ hospital and now hosting a Veterans’ inpatient centre, the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic, as well as the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research and Innovation Centre. The research centre is recognized as Canada’s leader in mental health research dedicated to enhancing the lives and wellbeing of military personnel, Veterans and their families. The directors of the centre are co-investigators on the study.

For more information, please contact:    
Debora (Flaherty) Van Brenk 
Communication Consultant
St. Joseph’s Health Care London
C: 226-577-1429 or 519-318-0657
T: 519-646-6100 ext. 42534
@email

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.