5H-P18*
5/17/10
11:20 AM
Page H18
BY KAREN PATON-EVANS
B
Build it and they will come; train them and many will stay. Recent and new investments in medical services and education in Windsor-Essex County are improving the prognosis for quality health care locally and nationally. An infusion of public funding and community donations is giving the Windsor area a boost with the establishment of The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - Windsor Program, facility enhancements, new construction and expanded medical services at Hotel-Dieu Grace and Windsor Regional hospitals, and the April groundbreaking on St. Clair College’s new health sciences building. All are contributing to the training of much-needed health care professionals. On St. Clair College’s main Windsor campus, construction of the $32-million health sciences building is underway. With the anticipated movein date of March 2011, students are looking forward to learning in the 108,000 square-foot, stateof-the-art facility, predominantly set up for labs and clinical learning experience. Observing that the college’s health care students could easily get into universities anywhere, academic vice president Dr. Peter Tumidajski says, “I think we get the cream of the crop.” He finds the college pairs “good quality people, good quality programs.” With Windsor’s proximity to Detroit, Canadian health workers and patients have access to opportunities for employment and care offered at Henry Ford Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and other major medical centres. Reflecting on past graduates, Dr. Tumidajski finds “though many leave to start their career, a lot of them come back to the region. “There is a strong draw to come back for people who grew up and went to school here.” This is good news for the local community, which depends on well-trained health care professionals to treat the entire population. The ability to instruct more people ensures more patients have greater access to services. For instance, with more medical technicians trained to operate advanced machines, “that gives you a faster response rate and a better health care system,” says Dr. Tumidajski. With more Canadians living longer, there is an increased reliance on supportive services who “need different kinds of care,” he notes. Therapists “train them how to organize their lives so they can stay at home.” Practical nurses and personal support workers care for residents in nursing homes or as home care providers. When emergency services are required, it is reassuring to be attended by the college’s para-
Johnny V rocking Continued from pg. 14 “The Walleye Capital of the World is right out here,” Johnny V says, indicating the nearby lake. His new buddies are taking him out on their boat to fish for walleye, pickerel and perch. Living in the heart of wine country, Johnny V has learned “the wine’s real good here.” Compared to Calgary, “we’re saving between 30 and 40 per cent on monthly food, gas, utilities on the basic cost of living,” Johnny V finds. For writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, “it’s beautiful down here in the sense that you can explore your creativity without being burdened by distractions,” such as having to go to a day job to pay
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RX for good health Artist rendering shows the $32-million health sciences building that St. Clair College is constructing.
medic graduates who have won provincial awards. “I think the governments are recognizing this area needs to have investment in training and delivery of health care. They are putting money into that.” Beyond campus grounds, “our regional hospitals are growing to capture more medical work,” Dr. Tumidajski says. He anticipates seeing even greater local development with increased abilities to assess major medical conditions and provide advanced treatment right in Windsor, rather than sending patients to London or Toronto hospitals. One very positive development is the Schulich School, a partnership between The University of Western Ontario, University of Windsor and the Windsor and London hospitals. In the fall of 2008, the first class of 24 students began studies at the University of Windsor site. When they graduate in 2012, they will receive University of Western Ontario medical degrees. In the meantime, students are contributing to health care. “During their training, they will provide clinical care under supervision by resident physicians engaged in specialty training and by Windsor physicians,” says Schulich dean Dr. Carol Herbert. “Some will be engaged in research projects in Windsor or elsewhere in southwestern Ontario.” More than 200 Windsor-based physicians are involved as faculty. “We depend on the Windsor physicians who give of their time and experience to teach our students, often meaning longer days to take care of all their patients’ needs. They bring a wealth of clinical experience in hospital and community settings,” Dr. Herbert says. “We continue to foster formal teaching skills through faculty development.” The school has already attracted a number of
physicians to practice in Windsor who also want to be engaged in teaching and clinical research, she adds. “We hope that in the longer term, some of our graduates will settle in areas where there is medical service needed, including Windsor-Essex County. We know that our graduates will provide excellent service wherever in Canada they ultimately land.” Incoming dean Dr. Michael Strong was born in Windsor and lived in Leamington. Currently based in London, he is a tertiary care neurologist who has provided neurological care to southwestern Ontario for the last 20 years. “I can state without any hesitation that the care provided is superb and that SWO patients are well-cared for by dedicated primary care physicians, specialists and health care professionals,” he says. “My experience in sending patients back into the community and to home hospitals has been that they are cared for well and that the level of care is excellent.” “The Schulich is an absolutely integral part of health care delivery across SWO and….both of its campuses contribute in a major way to this,” says Dr. Strong. “It is in fact what places us at the forefront of a number of health care initiatives, both from the vantage of education (distributed learning) and research.” Dr. Darren Cargill, an Oakville native who graduated from the University of Western Ontario’s medical school in 2004, considered setting up his practice in various cities throughout Ontario. “I found Windsor and Essex County to be a nice-sized community. It is not too small and not too big,” he says. “We have a lot of the big city amenities while maintaining a small-town feel.”
to live and create in a major centre. “If you’re going to play music as a career, the ideal thing is to find a place like Essex County to come home to,” Johnny V believes. After a long tour, “when you come back home, you want to shut the world off for awhile.” The close proximity to the U.S., Windsor International Airport and Hwy. 401 means a musician can easily get to the next venue. It’s a location that works for Ashley McIsaac, The Laws and other performing artists. James is already finding his own opportunities, teaching drums and percussion and playing in a heavy metal band. He is looking into the music programs at the University of Windsor and Wayne State University in Detroit. In his own little hamlet, Johnny V is revelling
in being one of the guys. “I like the anonymity of it,” he says. “This affords me the opportunity to have privacy.” At 3 a.m., he can play his guitars without disturbing the neighbourhood. During the day, “I can rehearse with the band – and it’s loud.” In good weather, the neighbours sit outside to listen in. They only complain when the music stops. Johnny V acknowledges, “I could never do this in Calgary,” where rented rehearsal space was another expense and inconvenience for the artist. Debby, a lifelong Albertan, is pleased to be part of the “tight-knit community.” She is astounded “the neighbour will cut your grass.” “I found most people are real approachable,” says Johnny V. “Just about everyone I’ve met has been cool.”