Pictured above from left to right: Roy Butler, St. Joseph's Health Care London President; Dr. Arlene MacDougall, MINDS Director and Principal Investigator; Jodi Younger, St. Joseph's Health Care Vice President of Patient Care and Quality; Ryan Finch, Donor and President of Finch Auto Group; Michelle Campbell, St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation President; and Dr. Viraj Mehta, Site Chief of St. Joseph's Mental Health Care Program.
By: Teresinha Medeiros, Marketing and Communications Officer, St. Josephs' Health Care London Foundation
In the largest known gift of its kind to support mental health care research in Southwestern Ontario, Ryan Finch, President of Finch Auto Group, personally donated $5 million to St. Joseph's Health Care London (St. Joseph's) through St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation. The landmark donation will fund research into new solutions aimed at making it easier for people to receive the help they need, essentially “rebooting" the mental health care system.
“In the end, I hope this donation improves access for people in need," said Finch at the official announcement on June 15, in front of a crowd of more than 200 people. “I hope this donation spurs research that leads to more treatment and breakthroughs. And I hope this donation inspires young businesspeople out there to share their good fortunes. But what I really want to do today is let everyone out there that's hurting know we care."
Through St. Joseph's research arm, Lawson Health Research Institute, the funds will support an innovative new term research Chair in Mental Health System Transformation, a first in Canada, to develop collaborative initiatives that further mental health system change in London. Additionally, the funds will support special initiatives aimed at improving the system, and the expansion of St. Joseph's innovative research project Mental Health INcubator for Disruptive Solutions (MINDS 2.0).
“This funding is about fundamentally rebooting the mental health care system," explains Jodi Younger, St. Joseph's Vice President of Patient Care and Quality. “It's long been a complicated and complex system to navigate, especially for individuals diagnosed with a mental illness. More than 50 per cent of people have their first mental health encounter in the emergency room because they don't know where to go."
As Site Chief of St. Joseph's Mental Health Care Program, Dr. Viraj Mehta understands firsthand why the system needs to change and is feeling extremely optimistic calling it “an incredible opportunity for us."
“It is quite hard to truly describe how positive a feeling this produces for me," says Dr. Mehta. “This is an opportunity I didn't think we would ever have."
To recognize Finch for his generosity, while simultaneously tackling the broader issue of stigma, the mental health care building located at Parkwood Institute has been renamed the Finch Family Mental Health Care Building. With 156 inpatient beds, it is dedicated to those with severe and persistent mental illness in need of specialized mental health care. The mental health program also extends beyond the walls of the building with more than 150,000 outpatient and outreach visits per year.
“We are immensely grateful to Ryan Finch for his transformational donation," said Michelle Campbell, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation. “In addition to his generosity, the addition of the Finch name on our building opens conversations and breaks down community barriers."
Read the full story on the St. Joseph's Health Care London website.