KEEPING UP WITH
Volume 3 | Issue 5
K E N S INGTON
May 2019
TRAINING TOMORROW’S LEADERS IN HEALTH CARE
LETTER
FROM THE
CEO
May is Vision Health Month and in honour of this month, I think it’s important to talk about some of the incredible vision services we offer at Kensington Health. Since 2006, Kensington has been at the forefront of specialized vision care for patients living in and outside of Toronto. In addition to the Kensington Eye Institute – which performs sightsaving surgeries (some you will read about in this issue), we also have the Kensington Vision and Research Centre – which offers specialized eye examinations and diagnostic tests for people living with impaired vision. Recently, the Vision and Research Centre opened up one of the first urgent eye care centres in Toronto, offering patients rapid access to ophthalmologists during an eye emergency instead of waiting in an emergency room at the hospital. In 2015, Kensington added The Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division) to its family of services. The Eye Bank collects eye tissue for transplant, and supports sight-saving transplantation with donor tissue. Last month, The Eye Bank was accredited for three years by the Eye Bank Association of America. This accreditation was the result of countless hours of preparation by the team at the Eye Bank. I would like to thank them all personally for this accomplishment. Read this issue for more Vision Health Month stories from Kensington Health!
Second Mile Club student Rob Howard (middle) facilitated weekly mindfulness sessions with members (pictured above) to reduce stress and create mental clarity. Kensington Health isn’t just a community health services provider, but a proud teaching facility and academic centre of excellence. Employees at Kensington educate hundreds of learners each year, giving them the critical skills they need to succeed in a variety of professions such as nursing, medicine, personal care, social work, kinesiology, therapeutic recreation, nutrition, information technology, and administration.
Gaining real-world experience Learners come to Kensington with the goal of enhancing health care in their community and Rob Howard is no exception. While completing his Master’s of Social Work at University of Toronto, specializing in gerontology, Rob decided to come to Kensington to learn about caregiver support, client intervention and support, and weekly mindfulness programs. “The great thing about my time at Kensington is that I was exposed to all levels of care and I was able to support different types of clients,“ said Rob. “There’s a lot to learn here, it’s a very comprehensive learning experience. It helped knowing that my supervisors had complete faith in my abilities and encouraged me to take the lead througout my journey.” Rob declined two practicum opportunities before choosing Kensington. “Coming here was exactly what I was looking for,” said Rob. “I’ve been working with older adults for 10 years so I had a solid background in geriatrics, but what I really needed was a chance to practice clinical assessments and to put them into action.” Rob remembers his first interaction with John Yip, President and CEO of Kensington Health. “John told me that Kensington values all learners because we bring fresh ideas and new information which helps Kensington continuously improve. This told me that it wasn’t just my work that would be valued but also my insights and ideas.” After graduating, Rob aims to work in policy and advocate for affordable housing for seniors, and inmates ageing within the penal system.
Learn more about student opportunities at Kensington, visit: https://bit.ly/2DgMtyq