Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors: January 2025

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Against a backdrop of more challenging financial times and social issues, the Board is pleased that the CHIRS organization continues to thrive. CHIRS leadership and staff face challenges in a proactive and positive manner to deliver programing and residential services to acquired brain injury (ABI) clients, in line with the vision that CHIRS exists to improve the quality of life for persons living with the effects of acquired brain injury. As well, CHIRS continues to be on the leading edge in the provision of evidence-based community and client-centred services in the field of acquired brain injury.

This commitment has resulted in the number of programs CHIRS is delivering returning back to pre-COVID levels. There continues to be the flexibility for online participation or in-person services being offered in several settings. The Board applauds staff for their commitment to the Centre of Excellence strategic priority in being significant contributors to the ABI Community through staff participation in ABI events, working groups and regional projects with a collaborative perspective and approach. Below are highlights from the past year:

• Hedy Chandler, CHIRS CEO, also is Chair of the Toronto ABI Network and participates in The Health Systems Partners Meeting, The Ontario Health Team meetings on Assistive Living Services, The Community Support Collaborative meeting hosted by OHT-Toronto, the Provincial ABI Network, and the Central East ABI Network.

• Dr. Carolyn Lemsky, CHIRS Clinical Director, is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and an active contributor to the success of TABIRS. She presented at the Collaborating Across Borders Conference at UHN on the topic of Substance Use and Brain Injury Bridging Project: Increasing Capacity Through Cross Training. Dr. Lemsky was published in Healthcare Quarterly, Accounting for Cognitive Impairment in Concurrent Disorders Treatment: Practical Resources to Meet the Needs of Our Most Complex Clients. Dr. Lemsky most recently presented at the Toronto ABI Network Conference as an invited speaker.

• CHIRS' Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion plan was submitted to the Ontario Health Team in relation to equity opportunities and training in Indigenous Health. The CHIRS Diversity committee is very active in promoting awareness and engagement on topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion for all staff.

• Our System Navigator, Cathy Halovanic, was a guest lecturer at Humber College in February 2024 as part of the Systems Navigator graduate certificate program through their Health Sciences and Wellness department. This stemmed from the presentation CHIRS did last spring at the Canadian Health Navigation Conference.

• Importantly, Cathy was instrumental in the development of the Central Link ABI Resource Guide which is widely used.

• CHIRS just completed a 2nd presentation to the Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience (SCOPE) team. SCOPE connects and supports primary care providers (Mental Health Navigators and Nurse Navigators) providing a single access point to health care and associated tools. The invitation was because of contacts made at the above-mentioned conference.

CHIRS bid farewell to a few long-tenured staff members. We thank these individuals for their significant contributions and effective mentorship during their dedicated service. Diana Brouwer, CHIRS social worker, retired in February after 28 years. Judy Moir, Director of Programs, retired this summer after more than 20 years of service. Lenore Ison also retired after 13 years. Your work with CHIRS was so appreciated.

CHIRS remains well supported by our primary funders, the Ontario Ministry of Health. The Housing Division also provided funding of $25,000 to replace the flooring at one of our group homes. It is particularly pleasing to see the province's investment in front-line staff with salary increases that were retroactive. In addition to the salary increases, the CHIRS management team successfully negotiated acceptance into the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). Defined benefit plans are harder to come by these days and are a wonderful tool to help employees plan for their future. This was undertaken to ensure CHIRS is a competitive employer as well as to enhance the ability to attract new staff.

This year, CHIRS' nemeses were two sewage floods at the Finch location, which displaced all programs that occur in the basement meeting space and also required staff having to relocate.  Ever resourceful, the team quickly rented space nearby, utilized the party room at Aldebrain, as well as had programs running at other public spaces.

The Board confirms that CHIRS has met the deadline for the new Provincial legislation, Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporate Act, with updated corporate by-laws. New Board policy was introduced to hold Board Directors to the same standards as staff in terms of dealing with our clients, many of whom are Vulnerable Persons. The policy requires all Board members to have satisfactory police checks.

Board renewal is constant to ensure appropriate diversity, innovation, and requisite skills to support the organization in an ever-changing environment. Two new Board members joined in September. We are most fortunate that both are familiar with the challenges of ABI and delivery of health care. The Board will now have two family member representatives, one a parent and another a sibling. This will help to provide the generational perspective on family matters.

Joining the Board this past September were:

• Karen Beekenkamp, a Registered Social Worker with a master's degree. She has been working in the hospital and brain rehabilitation sector for over 20 years and is currently at UHN Toronto Rehab. 

• Brett Laschinger is an Operating Executive who focuses on building and growing health care services businesses in Canada and the US. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Earlier in his career, he was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Looking ahead, there will be a need for focus by both staff and the Board on the upcoming Accreditation Canada Review. The Accreditation Standards have been updated and work continues both within the organization and at the Board-level to ensure compliance. The Board has every confidence that the work will result in a satisfactory outcome.

There are interesting projects ahead though the Board recognizes everything cannot happen at once. In closing, I want to thank all Board members for their volunteer service and support. Together, we thank everyone at CHIRS as their actions and successes are a testament to staff's flexibility and commitment to client engagement as well as the organization's resilience. We look forward to continuing our work together in 2025.