Unity Health
The CASC Supervisors of the Greater Toronto Area offer Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in hospital venues.
Persons interested in knowing more about the centres and supervisors listed here are encouraged to contact the centre by telephone or e-mail. Supervisors are happy to discuss their programs with prospective participants and explain the specific aspects of their programs as they may contribute to the requirements and purposes of the inquiring participant
Centre Supervisor
Rev. Bill Ford, M. Div. RP
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St. Michael's Hospital
Spiritual Care Services, Room 3-016 B,
30 Bond Street,
Toronto, ON M5B 1W8
Application:
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St. Michael’s Hospital, located in Toronto’s downtown core at 30 Bond Street, was established in 1892 by the Sisters of St. Joseph in response to an appeal by the Medical Officer of Health to assist in caring for the victims of a diphtheria epidemic. It opened with 26 beds staffed by six doctors and four graduate nurses. From its humble beginnings, it has grown into a world-class inner-city trauma hospital. With 465 beds, St. Michael's Hospital serves a densely-populated and diverse catchment area, and is a major tertiary and quaternary referral centre for patients from across the province. It is well known for specialties in the areas of Trauma, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Cardio-vascular surgery, Oncology, General Surgery and complex Surgical Oncology, Palliative Care, Respirology, Nephrology, complex Endoscopy, General Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and its continued care for those experiencing disadvantage through the Inner City Health program.
St. Joseph’s Health Centre, located in the west end of Toronto at 30 The Queensway, was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1921 as a result of two circumstances. The first was the need for health care in the west end of Toronto. The second was that the city fathers were interested in expropriating the Sacred Heart Orphanage’s property for a new high school. Knowing that the fathers could not expropriate a hospital, the Sisters of St. Joseph decided to transform their orphanage into a hospital. There have many additions/new wings to the building over the years. Today, it is a teaching hospital with approximately 400 beds specializing in Mental Health and Addictions, Emergency, General Surgery, Hemodialysis, Women, Babies and pediatrics, Oncology, Palliative Care and General Internal Medicine. St. Joe’s will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2021.
In 1857, the Sisters of St. Joseph opened the House of Providence as a place of welcome for all. In its early years the residents included children, widows, frail elderly people, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those who were chronically ill. In short, it was home for the most vulnerable in society. It moved to its current location at 3276 St. Clair Avenue East in the east end of Toronto in 1962 and began to focus on residential care for the elderly and sick. Now known as Providence Healthcare, with 231 beds, its focus is in rehabilitation for patients who have experienced strokes, orthopaedic surgery, lower limb amputation, or who require specialized geriatric rehabilitation, assessment and treatment as well as palliative care. In addition, it has a 288 bed long term care home (Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence) that is home to a number of retired Roman Catholic Priests and religious but is also a place of welcome for all who need its care. In 2022, Providence will open another 180 bed long term care wing that will be a community of excellence in caring for the elderly and for those living with dementia.
On August 1, 2017, these three healthcare organizations all founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph, merged to form the largest Catholic healthcare organization in Canada and is now known as Unity Health Toronto. Across three centuries, Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital have been committed to fulfilling the mission in a way that reflects and maintains a tradition of compassionate quality care. Unity Health Toronto is a Catholic healthcare organization providing compassionate physical, emotional and spiritual care to all in need. It advances excellence in healthcare through world-class education, research and innovation.
Unity Health Toronto has a robust and busy Spiritual Care Department where each SPE student is partnered with a member of the Spiritual Care team who will serve as a preceptor. Staff Spiritual Care Practitioners and SPE students are fully participating members of the health care team.
Unity Health Toronto is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.