Mackenzie Health

10/10/2025

Half of us will experience a mental health challenge by the age of 40. Today is World Mental Health Day — a time to reflect, raise awareness and make a meaningful impact.

We’re grateful to our dedicated interprofessional mental health team for bringing hope, healing and compassionate care to our community.

✨ Join us in shining a light on mental health. Donate today at mackenziehealth.ca/brightest. Together we shine brightest.

10/09/2025

This October, we are proud to recognize the more than 30 occupational therapists at Mackenzie Health. Every day, they help patients regain independence, rebuild confidence and return to the activities that matter most — whether that is getting dressed, cooking a meal, going back to work or enjoying a favourite hobby.

From stroke recovery to surgery, mental health to critical care, our OTs bring skill, compassion and creativity to every unit and clinic at Mackenzie Health. They help patients adapt, discover new ways forward and live life to the fullest.

To our occupational therapy team: thank you for your dedication, your innovation and the hope you bring to every patient’s journey. You make independence possible. 💙

10/09/2025

💡 Managing daily stress is an important part of supporting your mental health. We asked Dr. Steven Youssoufian, Mackenzie Health’s Chief and Medical Director of Mental Health, to share some simple strategies you can use every day:

1) Focus on your breath: stress and anxiety can activate your fight or flight response. Deep, slow breathing can help calm your nervous system. Try box breathing: inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four and repeat as needed.

2) Incorporate movement: walking, stretching or light exercise helps release tension and can boost your mood… even if it’s just 10 minutes!

3) Identify and engage with activities that bring you joy: these activities can provide you with a sense of accomplishment or happiness. Try to engage in one or more of these activities each day. Start with small and simple activities first.

4) Pause and shift your perspective: stress can cloud our thinking and make things feel heavier than they are. Pause, challenge negative thinking and replace it with something supportive or more balanced.

5) Set boundaries: limiting screen time and building in breaks isn’t just good for focus… it’s essential for reducing daily stress and protecting your energy.

✨ Small steps can spark brighter days. By practicing these daily strategies, you're not only supporting your own mental health — you're helping create a community where no one walks through the dark alone.

Shine a light. Donate today at mackenziehealth.ca/brightest.

Together we shine brightest.

10/07/2025

🎨 “Drawing is both an escape from the world and a way to connect to it,” says Lindsay.

Diagnosed with schizophrenia and OCD at 17, Lindsay found hope and healing through the compassionate care at Mackenzie Health and her art continues to be a symbol of resilience.

👉 Read Lindsay’s full story: https://www.mackenziehealth.ca/support-us/foundation/your-impact/stories-that-inspire/lindsay%E2%80%99s-story-of-resilience-and-recovery

This week, we’re recognizing Mental Illness Awareness Week, the courage of patients and families in our community who face mental health challenges every day, as well as the exceptional care offered at our hospitals to help navigate them.

You can help bring light to those facing dark moments. Donate today at www.mackenziehealth.ca/brightest. Together we shine brightest.

10/05/2025

It’s National Supply Chain Week and we’re celebrating the incredible work of the supply chain team at Mackenzie Health.

From ensuring our hospitals never run out of critical medical supplies to co-ordinating thousands of deliveries every week, this team keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Without them, our doctors, nurses and staff couldn’t provide the exceptional care our community counts on.

Each day, our team manages about 170 supply orders, overseeing more than 1,700 supply handoffs. The scope of their work includes everything from everyday items you might expect, to little-known essentials like specimen transport bags, label printer ribbon and thermal blanket covers.

This year, our team is also proud to be working on projects like the ICU Supply Cart Optimization initiative — revamping supply carts to be smarter, faster and more reliable for frontline staff, while bringing innovation and best practices into our supply rooms for the future.

We’re grateful to our supply chain team for the expertise and dedication they bring to Mackenzie Health every day!

10/03/2025

10/03/2025

Truth and reconciliation does not begin and end on one day. It’s a responsibility we carry forward every day.

Earlier this week, as part of our commitment, we:

• Hosted a keynote learning session with Jamie Harmon, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Jamie shared powerful insights on Indigenous cultures, traditions and worldviews, and helped guide us in building more inclusive workplaces and respectful, meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

• Held a smudging ceremony, a sacred ceremony deeply rooted in many First Nation cultures for spiritually purifying and cleansing oneself or a space, before raising the Every Child Matters flag at our hospitals.

• Shared resources and learning opportunities with staff to encourage personal reflection and action.

These are steps in an ongoing journey. We are committed to listening, learning and taking meaningful action to help repair and rebuild relationships with Indigenous Peoples, grounded in respect, understanding and trust.

We encourage everyone to join us in carrying this work forward — to learn, reflect and take action in ways that honour truth and advance reconciliation.

Every Child Matters. 🧡

10/02/2025

The 2025 Mackenzie Health Mammothon is just days away — our annual one-day breast screening event designed to make mammograms more accessible.

🌟New this year: Eligibility has been expanded to include women as young as 40 years-old.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, with about 84 women diagnosed every day and 15 lives lost daily. The encouraging news is that the five-year survival rate is nearly 90 per cent, showing the impact of early detection and timely treatment.

The Mammothon will take place on Wednesday Oct.8 from 12-8 p.m. at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital.

To be eligible, you must:

✅ Be a woman between 40 and 74 years-old, who lives in Ontario
✅ Have not had a mammogram within the last two years
✅ Have no history of breast cancer

No referral required. Spaces are limited.

Walk in and register at Patient Registration, or register ahead of time through MyChart:

👉 mackenziehealth.ca/patients-visitors/mychart

Early detection saves lives — schedule your screening and remind the women in your life to do the same.

10/02/2025

Each year, our Kudos Awards celebrate team members who go above and beyond to live our values — like the Office of Strategy Management, one of last year’s recipients of the President’s Award of Excellence.

The Office of Strategy Management helps turn vision into reality. They do this by planning for the future, leading important projects and making sure the entire organization stays on track to deliver on our strategy. The team also supports leaders, encourages teamwork and helps solve problems, so we can meet the needs of our communities today and into the future.

Outside of Mackenzie Health, they build partnerships with local governments, universities and health care leaders. These connections strengthen communities and create new opportunities to improve and innovate in healthcare.

👏 Congratulations to the Office of Strategy Management — and thank you for the lasting impact you make on everyone who turns to Mackenzie Health today and in the years to come.

10/01/2025

What a ride!

The 11th annual Ride for Mackenzie Health, presented by CIBC was more than a cycling event — it was a celebration of community, compassion and care. Thanks to our community, we raised more than $400,000 in support of Mackenzie Health.

We’re so grateful to everyone who rode, fundraised, volunteered and cheered. Together, we’ve made an incredible impact.

Funds raised from this event help advance technology, upgrade patient spaces, purchase new equipment and provide the resources our care teams need to deliver the best possible care close to home.

You can still make a difference. Every gift brings us closer to a healthier future for our community. Visit MHFRide.ca to donate today.

10/01/2025