Heart
- We work to achieve stability in the health and lives of clients by building resilience and there is a clear demonstration of the compounded impacts of the social determinants of health in our clients’ resiliency scores.
- This winter, we provided cold-weather preparedness supplies and space each morning for underhoused outpatient clients to gather and stay warm.
I saw the nurse, who treated my hands for frostbite.
Jane Doe, Casey House Client
-
The pervasive housing crisis and insufficient shelter spaces affected our ability to safely discharge people experiencing homelessness from inpatient care. We developed a decision tree to ensure a safe environment for healing post-discharge and prioritized advocating for the crucial need for improved housing options.
Humanity
- Our unique approach centres the person in care planning, and one client-directed care option is choosing medical assistance in dying (MAID) at end-of-life.
Knowing that MAID was available to me improved my quality of life, up to the end…it’s made me less anxious, less fearful, less full of dread…
of our podcast Positively Speaking
Healing
So I was in my 20s and I fall sick. But I was feeling myself healthy, younger with a lot of energies. Perfect life, you know. And when I got the result from the test, I never believe in that I was sick. And nothing happened. And I never took the decision to get medication. And last year, I got really sick. I got AIDS. And I was very, very sick. I was close to pass away. I know that here, they’re going to help me. And I came to Casey House for a long time to get help. And right now, I am born again. I’m very grateful with Casey House. Because if Casey House don’t exist, then otherwise, I don’t know what happened with me.
Miguel, Positively Speaking, S2.Ep2
Advocating for systemic change
Casey House advocates for our model of compassionate and socially-just health care and seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent optimal health, and improve the well-being of all people living with and at risk of HIV. With the continuing drug poisoning crisis, housing crisis, and rising cost of living, the need to address the social factors that determine health and well-being is beyond urgent. This year, we advocated across all three levels of government for policies and programs to improve health care and outcomes for people in high need for housing, income, and substance use supports.
Advocating for harm reduction and progressive drug policy
Casey House believes that harm reduction is an essential health service, and that people who use drugs should not be criminalized. We contributed our insights on the current state of the City of Toronto’s drug policy and programming, including our clients’ perspectives on decriminalizing personal drug possession, which we highlighted during the 2022 municipal election. At the provincial level, we advocated for harm reduction to be further embedded in overall health care during the 2022 Ontario election, and the 2023 Ontario Budget. We were proud to showcase our unique harm reduction model to elected officials, including the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and our local MPP for Toronto Centre.
Advocating for shelter and adequate housing
Advocating for income security
Casey House serves clients with disabilities living in poverty, particularly those with chronic conditions and diseases such as HIV, mental illness, and substance use disorder. We called for the swift passage of federal Bill C-22 – Canada Disability Benefit Act, so that this new disability benefit can be designed and delivered as quickly as possible. It should support people with episodic disabilities, reach people who face barriers to filing income tax returns, and ensure coordination with provincial disability support programs so that people have continued, uninterrupted access to current health benefits.
Casey House is anchored on a foundation of activism, advocacy and trailblazing. Today, our hospital continues to dismantle barriers to care, and constantly looks for ways to help more people overcome barriers that perpetuate health inequities and access care.
Meet Bernard
Bernard is one of our amazing peers. He’s been familiar with Casey House since his husband, Jeff, was cared for as an inpatient before passing away in December 2001.
A few years ago, after retiring from a successful career as a social worker, Bernard applied to be a volunteer and ended up becoming a peer. Making use of his lived experience of HIV was exactly the sort of opportunity Bernard was looking for. He says,
Bernard’s experience with his very first client illustrates how important peer support is.
This year, when another client was admitted to an acute care hospital and was coping with some medically induced psychosis, he didn’t trust anyone and said he felt as though everyone was trying to kill him. He was losing weight, not eating and becoming extremely weak, but was refusing the recommendation of a feeding tube.
During one of Bernard’s weekly visits, the hospital social worker shared a concern that the client was not getting enough calories. Through conversation and exploring the clash between his words and his feelings, Bernard was able to coach the client to make an informed decision about his care, and he did try the feeding tube. It made a huge difference, and months later, while still in hospital the client expressed how thankful he was for Bernard’s support and patience.
In addition to his one-on-one work with clients Bernard co-leads a group for long-term survivors and seniors living with HIV called Vintage+. He continues to contribute his skills and his experience to support others on their journeys towards health and wellness.
Alex finds connection and
community at Casey House
Alex has been a Casey House client since 2003. He’s accessed multiple services over the years, including the lunch program, massage therapy, and support from a social worker. He loves knowing that Casey House is here, offering specialized services to people who are living with HIV.
When asked about the massage therapy treatments he received at Casey House, Alex notes that while it was about gaining relief from pain, addressing muscle soreness, tension and anxiety was only one part. It was also about receiving physical touch and genuine acceptance.
The support Alex felt from massage therapy extended to conversation as well. They discussed substance use, and he was impressed with their knowledge of mental health and addictions, in addition to their expertise in massage and HIV. When Alex mentioned that he was having trouble finding housing, the massage therapist immediately connected him with a social worker, who helped with housing assistance.
Alex feels comforted, knowing that Casey House is here for him today – and will continue to be there for him in the future. He appreciates knowing there is a local hospital that specializes in HIV.
Others
Others
As a hospital that strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, we’re also tackling the deeply ingrained stigma associated with HIV. Knowing that fear fuels HIV stigma, and to raise awareness on the issue, we created a short film from the perspective of someone who experiences the fear and anxiety it causes. The intention was to shed light on the irrational fears held by the public that stem from misinformation and a lack of education about HIV and those living with it.
Others, directed by renowned filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Shkordoff, sets out to highlight the impact of judgement and what it can feel like to be haunted by stigma by employing a tense atmosphere and the emotional edginess of a thriller. While the film is a work of fiction, for people living with HIV, stigma is a series of terrible experiences that impact health and well-being. And it happens every day.
The story ends on a cliff hanger and cuts immediately to interview clips of six people speaking honestly about their life with HIV and the stigma they have faced. A professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play the HIV+ protagonist, and learning this from Peter McPherson’s first words makes the transition from film to documentary particularly poignant. The six real stories from people who faced HIV stigma in their own lives and overcame it are featured alongside Others at smashstigma.ca
To create buzz around the film and a narrative around fear, an integrated plan engaged the public, which included an immersive experience world film-premiere, and an international media relations outreach for traditional and social media. The reception was extremely positive, with earned media in outlets such as Toronto Star, CTV’s Your Morning, and Pride.com.
With bold ideas and brave partners, we make the humanity of each client the heart of everything we do.
Celebrating Black women in the HIV sector
There was a new look and feel for our World AIDS Day event this year. Hosted alongside community partner Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, Voices for World AIDS Day: An evening of storytelling was a beautiful occasion of community and storytelling as we honoured Black female activists and artists who use their voices to inspire change in the HIV sector.
One by one, eight women, including Casey House staff member Racquel Bremmer, engaged the audience with personal accounts of their journeys, and the big and small ways they have responded to the HIV crisis. The stories were heartfelt, honest, and deeply courageous. It was an incredibly powerful evening and had a big impact on guests. As one audience member said:
We are grateful to corporate and in-kind sponsors, audience members, volunteers, and most importantly, the featured storytellers and their tremendous contributions to our communities: d’bi.young anitafrika, Sane Dube, Lena Soje, Jully Black, Racquel Bremmer, Muluba Habanyama, Molly Johnson, and Marvelous Muchenje.
Additional Accomplishments
PROVIDED
OUTPATIENT CARE FOR
~500
CLIENTS
each quarter who came for 29,400 visits, an increase from 17,416 the year prior
FIRST CHARITY
to receive a
AAA rating from
The Veritas Foundation,
who calculated a $3.34 value on every dollar committed compared with an average return rate of $2 – $2.25 for other charities.
12 peers
leveraged their lived experience with just over 1100 hours of peer support visits, almost the equivalent of a full-time staff member
Granted Accreditation
Canada’s primer status
back in-person raised over $1 million
Assembled and Distributed
84,045
free safer drug use kits and 235 naloxone kits to clients and members of the public
LAUNCHED THE
DELIVERED
2 sessions
of a training program in partnership with UHN and Uof T’s Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) for an interdisciplinary group of students from various health and social service fields. Students take two modules of CATIE’s HIV Basics course, then have a live session to review issues facing our clients; hear from someone with lived experience of HIV; components of effective communication with clients who may be LGBTQ+, may use drugs, or be experiencing homelessness. Students also worked in small groups to review a case study and present back to the group.
125
Admissions to the inpatient unit, clients had an average length of stay of 27 days (due to nursing shortage there were 14 beds open Apr – Dec 2022 and only 10 beds Jan – Mar)
Opened an
outpatient tax clinic
in April 2022 to help clients file taxes and get a notice of assessment, a necessity to apply for supportive housing. Saw 26 clients in the first 8 sessions with positive results, including notices of assessment, refunds, and online CRA accounts
Partnered with
LCBO for
Love Pairs with Everything campaign during Pride.
RELEASED
Season 2
of our Podcast
Positively Speaking
five outstanding people
90
participants attended a Casey House Mental Health Series session on mental health implications of physical and emotional isolation in context of monkeypox, HIV and the overarching COVID-19 pandemic, including exploring the impact of HIV stigma in the 1980s and 90s. Speaker Yezarni Wynn and a panel of community workers discussed implications on service delivery and impact they are witnessing in clients.
COMPLETION
of CPSO Quality Improvement Partnership in partnership and with feedback from our nursing team the physicians group focussed on two areas to improve prescribing and communication. The CPSO asked to feature our work as an example.
16,000
hot midday meals
Added monthly
DENTAL CARE CLINIC
many dentists will not provide care to HIV+ individuals and dental health it is an important part of basic health
Nursing clinic
offered interim primary care to clients that came in crisis without a provider and moved them from crisis to stable in a short time
Held a full capacity education session
trauma-informed
care for
55
new paramedics-in-training
CEO
Joanne Simons
named in
Helped inoculate clients
against COVID-19 by offering vaccinations on-site and booking appointments
Shared excess PPE (N95s, face shields) with three local community organizations: Michael Garron family practice, Parkdale Queen West CHC, Street Haven
Hospital spending of grants from Casey House Foundation
Hospital spending
For full financial statements, visit the ‘Accountability, accessibility and freedom of information’ page at caseyhouse.com https://caseyhouse.ca/about-us/accountability/financial-statements/
Transform lives and
health care through
compassion and social justice
Unequivocal
compassion
Informed,
client-driven care
Deliberate
Inclusivity
Courageous
advocacy
Responsive
innovation
We rely on the generous donations of our supporters to enhance our health care programs and capital projects.
Support
Casey House today
416-962-7600 | 119 Isabella Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1P2
Charitable Registration No. 10687 8374 RR0001
Casey House acknowledges that the land we are built upon is the ancestral territory of the Indigenous People of Turtle Island.