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News Release
CANADA’S
FIRST COMPREHENSIVE SPINE CENTRE OPENS ITS DOORS
-State-of-the-Art Kingsway Financial Spine Centre to be priority
destination for thousands of Ontarians suffering acute disorders
related to the spine-
TORONTO AND MISSISSAUGA
(May 3, 2005) – Trillium Health Centre, one of Canada’s
leading community hospitals, today officially opened Kingsway
Financial Spine Centre, a brand new, state-of-the-art open
access ambulatory facility at the Queensway site offering
comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and surgery
to thousands of Ontarians suffering from acute disorders related
to the spine. Part of Trillium’s signature Neurosciences
/ Musculoskeletal Health System and modeled on an interdisciplinary
approach to care, Kingsway Financial Spine Centre is expected
to significantly reduce wait times, improve accessibility,
and provide better patient outcomes.
The most common cause of disability
in persons under the age of 45, back pain affects up to 90
per cent of the Canadian population, according to the Canadian
Back Institute. Worker Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario
(WSIB) related claims alone reveal that soft tissue injuries
to the head, neck or trunk accounted for $66-million in disability
costs and $136-million in medical/rehabilitation costs in
2000. Thirty per cent of all lost time WSIB claims are spine-related.
Today’s opening ceremonies,
attended by over 200 hospital supporters, and members of the
community included a keynote presentation on the vision and
work of the Spine Centre by Dr. Hart Schutz, Neurosurgeon
and Director of Trillium Health Spine Centre, the unveiling
of the Centre’s plaque by Trillium Health Centre and
Kingsway Financial executives, and the first public tours
of the facility.
”This is a significant milestone
for Trillium Health Centre and the citizens of Ontario,”
said Ken White, Chief Executive Officer, Trillium Health Centre.
“Today’s opening of the Kingsway Financial Spine
Centre is yet another example of the Trillium Health Centre
leading the way in health innovations.”
“I believe this may be the best $3 million gift that
our firm has ever made,” said Bill Star, President and
CEO, Kingsway Financial Services Inc. “By helping people
get the treatment they need, when they need it, we can ensure
their return to health and their normal life. This in itself
is enough to justify this gift to a leading community hospital.”
The 9,000 square foot Kingsway Financial
Spine Centre, the first comprehensive facility of its kind
in Canada, is expected to become a primary destination for
thousands of patients in Ontario. It will offer customized
plans of care based on early diagnosis, timely and dedicated
access to specialized tests, including MRIs. Designated, in-house
slots for patients of Kingsway Financial Spine Centre will
reduce wait times for MRIs from a current six to nine months
to within two weeks.
The facility will connect patients
with a number of health care professionals, including physio,
massage and occupational therapists, chiropractors, kinesiologists
and psychologists, and feature an area dedicated to wellness
education for clients and their families.
“Before the Spine Centre, patients
had to wait excessive periods of time for a series of fragmented
tests and treatments.” said Dr. Schutz, Neurosurgeon
and Medical Director, Kingsway Financial Spine Centre. “Those
same sufferers can now turn to Trillium’s Kingsway Financial
Spine Centre for one-stop care that will help put them on
the road to recovery faster.”
About Trillium
Health Centre
Trillium Health
Centre is one of Canada’s leading community hospitals,
with expanding tertiary care programs in cardiac care, stroke,
orthopaedics and neurosurgery. Serving over one million residents
in Mississauga, Southwest Toronto and from other communities
across Ontario, Trillium has redefined the boundaries of community
health care delivery. Housing a model ambulatory care centre,
one of the busiest Emergency services in the country, and
the largest free-standing day surgery centre in North America,
the two-site facility is attracting international attention
for its innovative approach to the provision of health care
services.
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Backgrounder
Media Contacts
For all media enquiries, please call Public Relations at 905-848-7580 ext. 3832.
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