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London’s Children’s Hospital is joining forces with a Montreal hospital to improve care for children with bone diseases in Southwestern Ontario.
Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre and Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada (SHC Canada) was set to announce a new affiliation agreement at a news conference in London on Friday. The collaboration will focus on improving specialized orthopedic care, advancing research and educating the next generation of health-care providers in the field of pediatric bone diseases, the hospitals say.
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The “first of its kind” partnership will bring specialized care closer to home for families in the region who otherwise must travel long distances to get treatment, LHSC said.
“This is an exciting opportunity to create something unique and special for the patients we serve and their families, as well as for the staff, physicians, researchers and students vital to delivering this care,” said Children’s Hospital vice-president Nash Syed.
The formal affiliation agreement builds on existing informal clinical collaborations and referrals between the two hospitals, he said.
A key part of the affiliation is a new monthly clinic at the Children’s Hospital that will offer specialized treatment for children with complex bone disorders. The Shriners rare bone disease clinic will allow patients and families in Southwestern Ontario an opportunity to receive some of their care at LHSC instead of traveling hours to the Shriners hospital in Montreal, LHSC said.
The affiliation, funded by a $1.5-million grant during five years from Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada, also will focus on advancing research and improving education in the field. A research grant, for example, will be awarded to support innovative projects involving researchers from both hospitals that show potential in improving the treatment of pediatric bone disease, LHSC said.
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Beginning in the summer of 2025, the two hospitals will offer a joint fellowship for a doctor to gain experience in trauma care at LHSC and specialty orthopedic care at Shriners hospital, LHSC said.
The Children’s Hospital at LHSC serves a population of 1.5 million, with more than 400,000 children in the Southwestern Ontario region from birth through age 18.
Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada is a Montreal-based acute care hospital that specializes in providing care for infants, children and young adults with orthopedic and neuromuscular problems such as scoliosis and brittle bone disease, among others.
A spokesperson for Shriners hospital said the affiliation has “opened the door” for the hospital to pursue similar collaborative projects across Canada.
“This affiliation is a dream come true,” said Jacques Boissonneault, an administrator at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada.
“It will not only improve the lives of patients and their families, but will also advance research and teaching.”
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