Centre For Child And Youth Digestive Health

McMaster Children’s Hospital
OFFICIALLY OPENS OCTOBER 5, 2010

An audience of 100 attended the opening ceremony for The Centre for Child and Youth Digestive Health hosted by Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, President of McMaster Children’s Hospital. The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Murray Martin, CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences and Pearl Venema, President of the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. Representatives of the Canadian Crohn’s and Colitis and the Canadian Celiac Association were in present as well as Mrs. Roma and Mrs. Linda Mercanti of the Charity of Hope, Regional ESSO dealers and the CCYDH Family Council.

Three initiatives were announced:

• We are working with regional pediatricians to reduce the time for Pediatric Gastroenterology consultation from 18 months to a target of 6 months
• General Anaesthesia is now available to all patients under 18 undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy as of October 2010The cost of non OHIP covered testing for celiac disease will be reduced by 70% for pediatric patients in our Health Region.

Kids Dig Health Program

The Centre for Child and Youth Digestive Health hosts The KIDS DIG HEALTH PROGRAM, a research and education program for children and youth and their families and the Professionals that care for them. KIDS DIG HEALTH offers timely information and education about nutrition, healthy active living and chronic GI diseases. An e-bulletin is available upon request and the WWW.KIDSDIGHEALTH.ORG features education and links to other useful websites and resources.

Fundraising

Heidi Gilchrist, Ontario’s only female ESSO dealer, organized a fundraiser by regional ESSO dealers that along with matching funds from ESSO head office raised $4000 for the Kids Dig Health Initiative

Forty thousand dollars ($40,000) has been raised by families and industrial partners to date to support the KIDS DIG HEALTH PROGRAM. In addition to the education program, funds support Digestive Health research by undergraduate and medical students, Pediatric Residents and Pediatric GI Fellows.

Royal College Accreditation

The Pediatric GI program is pleased to announce that the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has been awarded provisional accreditation to train Pediatricians in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

Resources

Hopes Wishes and Dreams Educational CD.
McMaster’s Pediatric IBD Team provides an educational CD entitled, Hopes Wishes and Dreams to all IBD patients and their families. This program introduces to all kids hospitalized with Crohn’s and Colitis at McMaster on Upopolis – the unique hospital intranet! If you haven’t received Hope, Wishes and Dreams, we’ll get you one.

Events

OCTOBER 14 – Official opening of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University Medical Centre

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
Hamilton – Sunday Nov 14, 2010 at 9 am. Dr. Herbert Brill, IBD Current Treatment Directions, Bay Gardens Funeral Home, Plains Road, Burlington

Dr. Elyanne Ratcliffe will discuss Constipation in Children, at McMaster Children’s Hospital, Practical Pediatrics for the Parent Conference at the Waterfront Conference Banquet Centre 555 John Street North, Saturday October 30 8:30 -2pm

Can’t Wait to Donate?

To support research and programming for kids with nutritional and digestive problems like celiac disease, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Liver Disease, and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

Your Donations Support the Kids Dig Health Program at McMaster Children’s Hospital

Send your check to:

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation
Re: Pediatric Digestive Disease Fund
1200 Main Street West, 3E Clinic
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5