The Secretary
Toronto Public Library Board
789 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4W 2G8
Dear Board Members,
I was dismayed to learn that the Toronto Public Library Board has made a decision to withdraw services from the Reading Room at Sick Kids. Two of my children were treated for cancer at the hospital and we were frequent users of the Reading Room during their collective 2 years as in-patients. During that time, my daughters were able to keep up with school projects using the reference collection, enjoyed presentations by visiting authors and found refuge from treatments, tests and noise.
I’m concerned that without the expertise of librarians to support the program, and without the partnership of the Toronto Public Library, the collection and services provided to families and children will be compromised. Because of the joint sponsorship, for example, librarians order books, audio-books and other resources for children of all ages, including infants and pre-schoolers, while TDSB has a mandate to serve only school age children. In addition, the TPL connection allows librarians to access resources such as multi-lingual books and DVDs through inter-library loans. Their expertise greatly benefits families from diverse communities who find the hospital experience particularly frightening and overwhelming.
Several years ago, the TDSB made significant cuts to the teaching staff provided to students at the hospital because of a peculiarity in the Education Funding formula. The formula dictates that the board can only receive funding for children registered as TDSB students. However, as you know, Sick Kids serves children from all across Ontario and Canada, most of whom are in and out of hospital and therefore retain their enrollment in their home schools. A minor compromise was reached between the board and the Ministry of Education so that the cuts were not as dramatic as those first proposed, but they did reduce the access children had to hospital teachers. Because of that experience, I worry that Sick Kids programs will always be more vulnerable to cuts in TDSB programs whenever the board faces difficult financial choices, just because the hospital is an anomaly for all of its funders. Without the support from the TPL, it will be even more difficult for the school board to continue to provide adequate service at Sick Kids.
The children who use the services of the Reading Room are among the sickest and most vulnerable in Canada. A strong partnership between teachers and librarians to provide a normal and enriching childhood experience adds tremendously to their healing in a way that is difficult to quantify. I urge you to reconsider your decision.
Sincerely,
Valerie McDonald
416-537-7860
vmcdonaldATonramp.ca
Toronto Public Library cutting services to SickKids Reading Room
Say it ain't so. Below is an open letter from Valerie McDonald, former SickKids Family Advisory Committee chair, expressing her dismay at planned cuts to SickKids library services reducing book and multi-media and multi-language services to Canada's sickest kids and their families. The Toronto Public Library meeting minutes are underneath - please forward and consider registering disagreement with the decision.
Toronto Public library 2010 budget cuts target hospital lending services to SickKids families
The relevant December 14, 2009 Board meeting minutes discusses the cutting of in-hospital services (reprinted below) and catalogues other lost cultural and learning opportunities.
The civic cost of budget cuts is best described in cold clinical bureaucratic bluntness, such as the action item Reduce Branch Programming ($0.120 million)
Reduce Hospital Services ($0.105 million, 1.4 FTE)
As part of the Home Library Service review conducted in 2000, the Library Board
approved the discontinuation of staffed institutional deposits where opportunities existed for the institutions to play more of a role in the provision of library services. Staff explored all opportunities which resulted in replacing most of the staffed institutional service with deposit collections coordinated by institutional staff and volunteers. Out of 24 institutional service locations that existed at that time, four remain: Bridgepoint Health, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre and the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.
Service at Bridgepoint Health and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute includes programs and bedside service to residing patients. Both hospitals are long-term care facilities. Adjusting the current service model to one based on deposit collections that are coordinated by hospital staff and volunteers would standardize the Library’s institutional service at these locations and result in estimated savings of $0.065 million in staff costs (1.0 FTE).
In addition, Library collections, services and programs provided in partnership with Toronto District School Board, to children who are patients at the Hospital for Sick Children would no longer be provided by TPL, resulting in additional estimated savings of $0.040 million (0.4 FTE).
There are no changes considered for the Sunnybrook Hospital where the federal
Department of Veteran Affairs covers two-thirds of the costs of library service and
collections for veterans residing at the hospital.
The civic cost of budget cuts is best described in cold clinical bureaucratic bluntness, such as the action item Reduce Branch Programming ($0.120 million)
Reduced recreational, cultural and educational programming across our Research &
Reference and Branch libraries would impact children, teen/youth, newcomers, adult and older adult audiences, and would include fewer author events; arts, culture and
entertainment activities; hobbies and leisure, and life-long learning programs. It would also reduce performance and employment opportunities for local artists, authors, performers and storytellers. Estimated total savings amount to $0.120 million, as follows: ...
Nimkee Angel Day in SickKids NICU
It is becoming more common to see families posting photos at the end of their child's life and yet each time I see such pictures I am thankful for the parents amazing sharing. My Baby Is An Angel is a blog by a mom of six children honoring one child still born and later named Noah-Alexander (along with her guilt about the silence accompanying this birth) and Bennett-Chadlen "Nimkee" born with Trisomy 13 who died at one week. The website includes links to resources and other family sites and Melissa later wrote a letter wishing parents and staff were more aware that Trisomy 13 is not always a condition 'incompatible with life'. Family photos on Picasa include a poignant transition from mom's pregnancy to grief and death in the NICU and a beautiful set of photos by a photographer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep of Nimkee's death in SickKids NICU. Bennet died surrounded by his family's love and tears and father Chandlen playing a song composed for his son. You can hear the song accompanied by the pictures below. Thanks to Melissa and Chandlen for sharing these moving and unforgettable images of Bennet's life.
Under a video of Bennet, his mom writes:
Nimkee's Facebook page has 169 members!
Under a video of Bennet, his mom writes:
~Breaking the silence of the taboo subject of Infant Loss~
~The background music was written and recorded by Bennett-Chadlen's father, Chadlen. He wrote the guitar portion while he was in the NICU, and this is what our sweet boy heard as he drifted away in our arms.....this montage captures our final moments together. Viewer discretion is advised. I realize that many of you may not understand why a family might want these photos, but they're all we have to hold onto.
~I share this with you.....it's your choice whether you view it or not. Upon viewing, you will understand what we went through....please show compassion to any grieving mothers that you know. Even if you don't have words, a tender touch is enough.
~I'm here to break the silence....so many like me don't have to feel so alone.
~We will never forget, and we want you to always remember.
~I'm here to break the silence....so many like me don't have to feel so alone.
~We will never forget, and we want you to always remember.
Nimkee's Facebook page has 169 members!
Have A Heart Toydrive for CCCU and PICU
Child Life worker Kim 0'Leary had sent a list covering toddlers to teens and from rattles and aquariums to Nintendo DVs. The Sasha Bella Fund donated $2,500.00 to Rehab for toys and tools and The Wire filled a trolley to cover the ICU lists and art supplies, cars, mini ponies, clay, games and books.
At 2p.m Friday the families met and filled a chunk of the Atrium by the front desk. I took this picture with my phone of the Celsie and Veloso and Schultz families.
"a healthy dose of social networking just in time..."
“It’s really user-friendly. It’s a bit more than Facebook. You can connect with other patients and friends as well, so you can keep up with them. You’re able to feel as normal as you can.”
Upopolis tags itself as "a healthy space for kids to connect" and the factsheet describes it as software as a service from the private foundation Kids' Health Links Foundation hosted by Telus on a private network at several Canadian hospitals since 2007 - it is specifically for kids to communicate with family, friends, teachers and classmates and access medical information and hospital events and resources. There is no public registration so I expect referrals are initiated with hospital and care centre staff. Techvibes writes about Christina Papaevangelou and her father Basile working to find "ways to help kids in care stay connected" and developing a partnership wtih McMaster Children’s Hospital and TELUS. Kudos to all who made it happen!
Readers of the blog may remember an earlier post about the large international forum AbilityOnline which I joined just over a year ago. So far no news of the planned upgrade and the website has news from 2007. It is sad to see such important communities trapped in hard to update one-off web platforms.
Two years ago when I spoke to SickKids technical services about family-staff web communication it was confirmed the hospital was seeking a social media platform. I am pleased they chose a patient inspired software made in Canada and along with Care Pages, SickKids now supports patient to patient and family to public communication. The tools cry out for hospital wide wireless, a service rolling out in other Canadian paediatric hospitals. Expect computers in family resources areas and on the floors to be saturated. Free wireless supports hospital family diversity since families with means have a Rogers or Bell wireless stick.
CFAN needs your help for survey on parental/caregiver presence during induction and recovery. Please circulate.
From Sue Robins of The Canadian Family Advisory Network
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
We are writing to ask for your help in circulating a survey link for parents and caregivers about parental/caregiver presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery.
The survey is part of the Child and Family in the Healthcare System project of the Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC). Some of you know about the project; some of you know about the Coalition, and some of you know about both, but please allow us to provide the essential background for those who don't. (Much of this information is also included in the attached PDF to be forwarded to parents and caregivers as well as on the last page of the online survey).
Background
The Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC) is a collaboration of ten major national organizational and program members working together with a common vision to advance the cause of child and youth health care in Canada. We represent The Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN) on the Coalition's Steering Committee. You can find out more about the Coalition and its members at www.ccyhc.org<http://www.ccyhc.org/>
CCYHC has established the Child and Family in the Healthcare System Working Group to explore the ways in which children, youth, and their families are supported and included within the healthcare system, a task that entails, among other things, identifying differences in practice at various hospitals.
The Survey
The Working Group's first project is the investigation of hospital practices related to parental presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery. Different hospitals have different practices as to if, when, and how parents/caregivers can accompany children into the operating room until the children are asleep and in the recovery room when the children are waking up from anesthesia.
Please note that though the issue is generally called "parental presence ..." we are keen to hear from other caregivers (grandparents, foster parents, aunts, etc.) who may have been present-or who perhaps wish they could have been present-with a child or youth during induction or recovery.
We would appreciate your help in distributing the link to the survey to all parents or caregivers on your advisory council or, for those of you who work with families in a different capacity, to those parents and caregivers you think would, because of their experience with a child or youth who has had one or more surgeries, be interested in contributing. The survey is submitted automatically electronically online, so there's no need to collect surveys - it is all paperless.
Please cut and paste the text (including the survey website link) at the bottom of this page and forward to your contacts. (We have already sent another survey to all of the academic health centers that have paediatric surgical programs and to a number of community hospitals across Canada, and we will soon send another survey to members of youth and children's councils.) The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.
We hope most of the parents and caregivers can complete the survey by December 15, 2009.
Survey Results
The names of all responders and the name of the hospital where their children's surgery or surgeries were performed will be kept confidential. Any reports, publications, or presentations resulting from the surgery results will contain only summary data that will not identify the parents/caregivers or the hospital. We will be happy to share the results with all those who contributed and with all the Coalition members. Working with the survey results, the Working Group, in consultation with CCYHC, will determine best practices and develop recommendations that will be shared with all the hospitals.
On behalf of our Working Group, thank you for your interest and participation. If you have any questions, please contact us by calling Melissa Clulow (CCYHC National Coordinator) at
514-656-1268
or by emailing mclulowATcheo.on.ca
Respectfully yours
Frank Gavin and Sue Robins
Co-Chairs, Child and Family in the Healthcare System Working Group
--------------------------------------
For you to cut and paste to your family contacts:
Subject: Survey: Parent/Caregiver Presence at Surgical Induction and Recovery
Dear Friends and Families -
We are writing to ask for your help in completing a survey for parents and caregivers about parental/caregiver presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery. The survey is part of the Child and Family in the Healthcare System project of the Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC).
Please click on the link below to complete the online survey which asks about your experiences going with your child into surgery and the recovery room.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MVutJ_2b_2fdIyge6SLxx4tdgw_3d_3d
A full description of the survey is attached. This description also appears on the last page of the online survey.
The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Please submit your responses by December 15, 2009.
Thank you very much for your time and attention - your input is important to us!
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
We are writing to ask for your help in circulating a survey link for parents and caregivers about parental/caregiver presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery.
The survey is part of the Child and Family in the Healthcare System project of the Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC). Some of you know about the project; some of you know about the Coalition, and some of you know about both, but please allow us to provide the essential background for those who don't. (Much of this information is also included in the attached PDF to be forwarded to parents and caregivers as well as on the last page of the online survey).
Background
The Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC) is a collaboration of ten major national organizational and program members working together with a common vision to advance the cause of child and youth health care in Canada. We represent The Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN) on the Coalition's Steering Committee. You can find out more about the Coalition and its members at www.ccyhc.org<http://www.ccyhc.org/>
CCYHC has established the Child and Family in the Healthcare System Working Group to explore the ways in which children, youth, and their families are supported and included within the healthcare system, a task that entails, among other things, identifying differences in practice at various hospitals.
The Survey
The Working Group's first project is the investigation of hospital practices related to parental presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery. Different hospitals have different practices as to if, when, and how parents/caregivers can accompany children into the operating room until the children are asleep and in the recovery room when the children are waking up from anesthesia.
Please note that though the issue is generally called "parental presence ..." we are keen to hear from other caregivers (grandparents, foster parents, aunts, etc.) who may have been present-or who perhaps wish they could have been present-with a child or youth during induction or recovery.
We would appreciate your help in distributing the link to the survey to all parents or caregivers on your advisory council or, for those of you who work with families in a different capacity, to those parents and caregivers you think would, because of their experience with a child or youth who has had one or more surgeries, be interested in contributing. The survey is submitted automatically electronically online, so there's no need to collect surveys - it is all paperless.
Please cut and paste the text (including the survey website link) at the bottom of this page and forward to your contacts. (We have already sent another survey to all of the academic health centers that have paediatric surgical programs and to a number of community hospitals across Canada, and we will soon send another survey to members of youth and children's councils.) The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.
We hope most of the parents and caregivers can complete the survey by December 15, 2009.
Survey Results
The names of all responders and the name of the hospital where their children's surgery or surgeries were performed will be kept confidential. Any reports, publications, or presentations resulting from the surgery results will contain only summary data that will not identify the parents/caregivers or the hospital. We will be happy to share the results with all those who contributed and with all the Coalition members. Working with the survey results, the Working Group, in consultation with CCYHC, will determine best practices and develop recommendations that will be shared with all the hospitals.
On behalf of our Working Group, thank you for your interest and participation. If you have any questions, please contact us by calling Melissa Clulow (CCYHC National Coordinator) at
514-656-1268 or by emailing mclulowATcheo.on.caRespectfully yours
Frank Gavin and Sue Robins
Co-Chairs, Child and Family in the Healthcare System Working Group
--------------------------------------
For you to cut and paste to your family contacts:
Subject: Survey: Parent/Caregiver Presence at Surgical Induction and Recovery
Dear Friends and Families -
We are writing to ask for your help in completing a survey for parents and caregivers about parental/caregiver presence at anesthesia induction and post-anesthesia recovery. The survey is part of the Child and Family in the Healthcare System project of the Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC).
Please click on the link below to complete the online survey which asks about your experiences going with your child into surgery and the recovery room.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MVutJ_2b_2fdIyge6SLxx4tdgw_3d_3d
A full description of the survey is attached. This description also appears on the last page of the online survey.
The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Please submit your responses by December 15, 2009.
Thank you very much for your time and attention - your input is important to us!
Holiday Toy Drive for SickKids
From Nov 15 - Dec 15 please join the families of Wyatt, Phoenix, Sasha, Owen and Sawyer for a holiday toy drive for children at SickKids Hospital.
All of us know first hand how tough it is to have a child we love dearly in the hospital over the holidays and the smiles these toys bring and the warmth created for the kids and families.
Toys must be new for infection control and unwrapped and will be distributed by Child Life throughout the hospital. A list of needs by age group is below with a priority request for newborns and teens. Gift cards from major retailers are welcome too. Please email wyatts-warriors@hotmail.com - to get the address to mail a gift card, for assistance if you wish to help but cannot get to a drop-off or if your business is interested in donating or being a drop off location - please let us know!
Thanks to our participating businesses and to 99.9 Virgin Radio and Talk radio 1010 for the daily public service announcements promoting the Toy Drive!
Thank you and please spread the word!
With love,
The families of Wyatt, Owen, Sasha, Phoenix and Sawyer
DROP-OFF LOCATIONS FOR NEW UNWRAPPED TOYS
Stuff a Truck at Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac - 1530 Dundas St E, Whitby, Ontario
Stuff a Cooper at BMW / MINI Durham - 100 Achilles Rd, Ajax
The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy - 1288 Ritson Rd N, Oshawa
Blumberg Segal LLP Barristers and Solicitors - 390 Bay St Suite 1202, Toronto
Finnish Credit Union - 191 Eglinton Ave E, Toronto
Alcona Chiropractic & Natural Health, Dr Mark Kohut - 896 Innisfil Beach Rd, Innisfil
Fenelon Falls Real Estate - 20 May St, Fenelon Falls
Dockside Restaurant - 12 Water St, Fenelon Falls
Edgetown Ford - Hwy #36, Bobcaygeon
Aimee Alabster, Wedding and Event Planning Services - 58 Boundbrook Drive, Brampton
LIST OF TOY SUGGESTIONS FOR KIDS AT SICKKIDS:
INFANTS (HIGH PRIORITY) • Rattles • Soothers • Musical toys • Blankets • Cuddly toys • Books • Infant CDs | TODDLERS / PRESCHOOL • Duplo • Building Blocks • “Little People” sets (Fisher Price®) • Board Books, Lift the flap books • Dolls • Trucks • Cuddly Toys • Make believe sets i.e., kitchen utensils, plastic food etc. • Crayons • Paper • Colouring books • Magnadoodles • Play dough (individual containers) |
SCHOOL AGE • Board Games i.e., Guess Who, Candyland, Hi-Ho Cherry O, Snakes and Ladders, Connect Four etc. • Decks of Cards i.e., plain, UNO, Skip-Bo, Go Fish etc. • Cuddly toys • Books – early readers and chapter books • Markers/Crayons/Pencil Crayons • Paper/Colouring Books/Activity Books • Crayola Model Magic • Crayola Window Writers • Craft Kits (Klutz books) • Small hand held electronic games i.e., Gameboys with games | TEENS (HIGH PRIORITY) • Gift Cards (HMV, Best Buy, EB Games, Indigo) • Electronics (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, handheld gaming systems, ipods, mp3 players) • Writing Journals • Music, DVDs, video games • Word Searches/Crossword Puzzles/Sudoku • Board Games • Decks of cards • Toiletries • Sports items i.e., balls, sports cards etc… |
GIFT CARDS ARE AN AWESOME WAY TO HELP AND CAN BE MAILED
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