Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

Goals and Objectives:
A. Generate awareness about WCH’s remarkable history and its pivotal role in enhancing health care
for women. While media were invited to cover WCH’s 100 year legacy of medical breakthroughs in
women’s health, a secondary objective was for the media to acknowledge the hospital’s exciting future.
Goal: 50 articles throughout the year discussing WCH’s 100th anniversary with at least 50 per cent
discussing the hospital’s history, 15 per cent touching on its future and mandate, and 30 per cent of
articles appearing in community outlets (ie. youth, cultural, LGBTQ etc.), reaching new audiences.
B. Reengage internal audiences (staff, physicians and volunteers). Morale was low, staff felt WCH was
losing its historical roots and many were unsure about the future of the hospital.
C. Revitalize relationships with stakeholders. Specifically, establish three new partnerships to deliver
quality health services and enhance WCH’s academic agenda.
Solution Overview:
WCH brought together a volunteer committee of 34 high‐profile women from diverse backgrounds who
represent key stakeholder groups and many of whom are recognized as Canada’s top women leaders.
Led by Frances Lankin (then CEO of United Way of Greater Toronto), the trailblazing group included
Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada; Sheila Block, recognized as one of Canada’s 50 most influential
women; Michele Landsberg, social justice activist and journalist; and Ratna Omidvar, president of
Maytree, amongst others.
With the group’s input, WCH identified a series of 100th anniversary initiatives to pay homage to the
hospital’s history while also showcasing how it is revolutionizing health care for women today. The
projects included:
a) 100 Years of WCH: A Photography Exhibition. A two‐week exhibition in the main lobby of Toronto’s
Brookfield Place of some of the most compelling images in women’s health over the past century,
enabling thousands of passersby to become acquainted with WCH’s remarkable history. The exhibit also
displayed photos of WCH today – the physicians and scientists who are taking women’s health into the
next century. To launch the exhibit, WCH hosted a gala reception with 300 of its most important
stakeholders – government officials, WCH School of Nursing Alumni, descendants of the hospital’s
founders, staff, physicians, volunteers, donors and patients. Juno‐Award winner Dan Hill gave a powerful
performance and recounted memories of playing in the piano room at WCH as a child, when his mother
was a patient there. And Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty spoke (via video) about the importance of
women’s health and WCH’s pioneering role in it.
b) Hooking Up with Health: A Conference for Girls. Reaching out to a new audience, WCH invited 175
girls, Grades 7 and 8, from low‐income schools to address the health issues that affect them most: body
image, bullying, sexuality and healthy relationships. The innovative program captured the government’s
interest and the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long‐Term Care spoke, and
celebrated WCH for committing to the next generation of women leaders. Other speakers included
reporters Anne‐Marie Mediwake and Xania Khan, as well as Jessica Ye, social justice activist and
executive director of Native Youth Sexual Health Network.
c) The Spirit of Discovery in Women’s Health Research Day. More than 200 members of the general
public discovered how scientists at WCH are leading women’s health research in critical areas such as
cancers common in women, heart disease, arthritis, mental health, HIV and violence. The program also
featured keynote speakers Melissa Fung, CBC reporter who told her courageous story of being
kidnapped in Afghanistan, and Ilana Landsberg‐Lewis, executive director of the Stephen Lewis
Foundation.