Innovation: a cornerstone of care through St. Mary’s history and future

An innovative spirit has been at the heart of St. Mary's from the very beginning, when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton first recognized the communities’ need for more hospital healthcare and founded St. Mary’s Hospital in 1924.

Archive photo: Nurses prepping a surgical suite at St. Mary's General Hospital

As both the communities and the need for care grew, so did the need to evolve. The Hospital outgrew its footprint quickly, so the Sisters adapted by creatively advocating for funding, establishing new programs, and rearranging — and eventually building — spaces to continue to serve those in need. The Sisters’ forethought and dedication not only brought vital health services to the region but also created a strong foundation that has helped St. Mary’s adapt and grow as a leader in healthcare throughout the past 100 years.

Shifting our focus to specialized care

During the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, big changes were on the horizon for hospital healthcare in Waterloo Region. After funding pressures led St. Mary’s and the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital (now Grand River Hospital) to combine some services in 1989, St. Mary’s saw the opportunity to shift its focus from being an “all purpose” hospital to specializing in cardiology.

Photo: St. Mary's staff member with cardiac patient

This ambitious shift brought additional regional services to St. Mary's, helping patients access more care closer to home and paving the way for it to become a leading Regional Cardiac Care Centre and, later, home to the Regional Chest Program and the Regional Eye Program.

Partnerships in innovation

While innovation has always been at St. Mary’s core, the Hospital launched its formal innovation program in 2021, opening the door for new partnerships and opportunities that would reshape the ways we work and deliver care.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, local organizations came together to solve challenges and support each other in ways we’d never experienced before. St. Mary’s forged new partnerships, including with the University of Waterloo, McMaster University, and Communitech, who worked with local innovation entrepreneurs like InkSmith, Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), and more — InkSmith even transformed its manufacturing operations to make face shields for St. Mary’s team members working on the frontlines at the height of the pandemic.

In the time since, these partnerships have continued to grow and flourish, with leaders from across sectors coming to the table to explore new ways to solve long-standing systemic healthcare problems together. To help focus their efforts, they looked to team members from the region’s three hospitals — St. Mary’s, Grand River, and Cambridge Memorial — for their expertise, and based on their input, the hospitals, Communitech, McMaster, and the University of Waterloo selected 10 areas of focus to align their priorities at a regional level and deepen their impact.

CareNext – the future of innovation

In May 2024, St. Mary’s was a part of another milestone in local health innovation: the launch of the CareNext Coalition, a new partnership between Grand River, St. Mary’s, and the University of Waterloo.

Made possible, in part, through a generous legacy gift from the estate of Ralph and Dorothy Kraft, the Coalition is a way to share resources and expertise to attract talent to design, develop, and deliver innovative health services. We also look forward to welcoming our recently announced inaugural Vice President, Innovation and Chief Health Innovation Officer, Danina Kapetanovic, who will join the organizations in January 2025 to continue driving this groundbreaking work forward. The CareNext Coalition will ultimately equip Waterloo Region to become a health innovation centre, setting the stage for our future.

Pictured (left to right): Greg Voisin, Dr. John Sehl, Cynthia Voisin, Gary Karges and Jerry White, relatives of Ralph and Dorothy Kraft

“Partnerships are key to innovation, and the willingness of partners from different sectors to work together to deliver better care is one of the things that makes our region unique,” said Sarah Farwell, Vice President, Strategy, Communications & Government Relations.

It’s what makes the healthcare system in Waterloo Region well-poised to be leaders in health tech and health innovation, and we’re grateful to be a part of a region where hospitals like St. Mary’s have the opportunity to collaborate with diverse partners and approach problem solving differently to create brand-new solutions in healthcare.

Innovation is a core value at St. Mary’s, woven through its 100-year history. And as we look to the future, we are excited to see how the Hospitals and their partners will continue to leverage innovation to ensure the best possible experience and care for the communities we serve and the healthcare professionals who choose to work here throughout the next 100 years and beyond.

Photo: Exterior shot of St. Mary's General Hospital main entrance and signage

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