Cover of the newly published biography, Repairing the World: Sheila Kussner and the Power of Empathy.
June 2023Spotlight feature

From tragedy to triumph: New biography celebrates Sheila Kussner and Hope & Cope

New book examines how Sheila Kussner and Hope & Cope forged a breakthrough in supporting cancer patients.

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In the JGH Orthopedics Department, volunteer Rebecca Leroux (centre) works with Medical Secretary Jeremy Goldberg and Team Leader Rona Lis.
Feature articlesMay 2023

JGH volunteer proud to be one of the hospital’s “angels”

As a JGH volunteer, Rebecca Leroux loves helping patients and staff—and she has an angel-shaped pin on her jacket to symbolize their appreciation.

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Dozens of volunteers from across CIUSSS West-Central Montreal came together in Carrefour Lea Polansky at the JGH, where CIUSSS leaders recognized the volunteers’ efforts and celebrated their contributions. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
April 2023News

Volunteers praised for their dedication to users of health care and social services

More than 100 CIUSSS volunteers gathered during National Volunteer Week to celebrate their achievements and look ahead to the future.

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Wearing the distinctive turquoise jacket of volunteers, Helen Fleischauer and Stavros Simonian are joined at the main entrance of the JGH by Marko Obradovic, the CIUSSS’s Chief of Volunteer Services, and Nancy El Mallah, Coordinator of Volunteer Services for the JGH.
Feature articlesNovember 2022

As pandemic eases, volunteers eagerly return to JGH and other CIUSSS sites

Now that many COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, a steady stream of volunteers (newcomers and veterans alike) is coming forward again.

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At the main entrance of the Hope & Cope Wellness Centre, Program Manager Carly Berlin (left) discusses the Centre’s activities with Volunteer Anne Collette. (Click on this or any photo to enlarge it.)
December 2021Hope & Cope

Hope & Cope’s volunteers rebound from stressful impact of COVID 19

Many Hope & Cope volunteers were troubled by not being allowed to see cancer patients in person during the pandemic, but now those ties are being re-established.

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Dr. Blanca Vacaflor
June 2020Research at the Lady Davis Institute

Telehealth intervention to reduce isolation of older adults

The elderly are especially prone to depression during the COVID-19 lockdown. That’s why the Telehealth Intervention Program for Isolated Older Adults is providing emotional support.

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Rhoda Smith, a volunteer in The Auxiliary’s Ante Partum Program, shows Adriana Rosales how to use wooden beads to make a bracelet. This helps Ms. Rosales to pass the time creatively during her lengthy hospitalization, while her high-risk pregnancy is monitored.
AuxiliaryFebruary 2020

Auxiliary program brightens lives of mothers-to-be who spend weeks or months in hospital

Ante Partum Program uses arts and crafts as a creative relief from boredom For Adriana Rosales, being a patient at the JGH initially aroused a mix of sometimes contradictory emotions. On one hand, she felt reassured by the quality of the care that she was receiving for her high-risk pregnancy. …

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Feature articlesJuly 2019

Special-needs volunteers at the JGH gain as much as they give

Special-needs visitors from the Friendship Circle are now regularly bringing flowers and smiles to JGH patients and staff. They learn that they can give of themselves as volunteers, in addition to being the recipients of guidance and support.

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Olivia Frank, a student volunteer in the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit, writes an entry in the ICU diary of Jimmy Plevritis, a family member whose father was a patient in the unit.
Feature articlesMarch 2019

“Dear diary: The situation is still serious, but there’s hope … ”

Intensive Care, where patients’ condition is critical, is an unlikely place to keep a diary. But volunteers with the ICU Diaries Project are giving JGH patients and relatives an emotional outlet and a way of look back through smiles or tears.

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Jeannette Singerman, a volunteer in Palliative Care, shows a package of rose-shaped soaps to patient Leah Pasechnick, who chose to present them as a gift to a loved one.
Feature articlesFebruary 2019

Palliative Care volunteers give the gift of gift-giving at the JGH

It’s better to give than receive, but what if illness makes gift-giving impossible? In Palliative Care at the JGH, a volunteer program run by Hope & Cope enables patients to choose from a variety of donated gifts that they can present to their loved ones.

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