Study shows QHS plays key role in Queen’s economic and social impact

Feature Stories | 31 Mar 2022

From attracting health-sector talent to groundbreaking research, Queen’s Health Sciences plays a significant part in the university’s contributions to the Kingston area, according to a new study conducted by Deloitte.

The community-impact study shows Queen's close engagement with local organizations, government, and partners – including local health institutions – provides wide-ranging economic and social advantages. The university generates over $1.6 billion in annual benefits – including one in 10 local jobs. QHS’s healthcare expertise, researchers, and students are integral to that overall impact.

QHS-related highlights of the study include:

400+ medical doctors on Queen’s faculty work across a range of specialties in the region

500 medical trials led by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), headquartered at the Queen’s Cancer Institute
$620M in research and development funding attracted to Queen’s since 2013

The presence of Queen's health and medical facilities provides the Kingston community with leading services in their own backyard. The university also attracts faculty expertise in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, and more.

“Kingston is unique in having a city of this size with one of the premier universities in the country,” David Pichora, CEO, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, says in the report. “You don’t get access to the same quality health services in cities of this size.”

In addition, the study notes that health sciences’ alumni often choose to stay and practice or research within the community. This further contributes to local expertise in health sciences and provides a strong standard of care.

“We partner with Queen’s in many ways, including renting St. Mary’s of the Lake to test a new model of care delivery, where patients can avoid going to an acute care hospital,” says Cathy Szabo, President and CEO of Providence Care. “They can come to the new site, receive care, and hopefully return home at a level of independence that they can manage their own care.”

The study also lauded Queen’s ongoing support of public health authorities – most recently during the community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Case in point, the School of Rehabilitation Therapy’s partnership with Kingston Immigration Working Group and Education to research the effects of the pandemic on refugee youth in Kingston.

The university’s leading health research is recognized in the report and highlighted in a case study on CCTG, which has facilitated over 500 trials in more than 40 countries and made many important contributions to cancer research. It notes that Kingston-based CCTG clinicians are elevating the quality of care in Kingston and across the globe, as patients who have their care active in clinical trials experience better outcomes than those that do not. One example noted is the work of the Southeastern Ontario Oncology Living Lab, which is developing a platform to improve the delivery of cancer care locally and assess the impacts on outcomes for specific populations in the region, including rural populations, the elderly and Indigenous peoples.

“The [cancer care] program at Queen’s is a fundamental part of the Kingston community,” says Dr. Scott Berry, Oncology Department Head. “In the clinical care of cancer patients, we are responding to the increasing numbers and complex needs of cancer patients with state-of-the-art care.”

Another health care partnership highlighted in the study is Oasis Senior Supportive Living Inc., a program designed to strengthen and sustain a healthy community of older adults. Professors Catherine Donnelly and Vince DePaul from the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s are leading a research project to expand and evaluate the Oasis Model into seven new communities in four cities in Ontario. In this project, they have partnered with the seniors at the original Oasis program at Bowling Green II apartment in Kingston, the Oasis Board of Directors, and researchers at Western University and McMaster University.

Visit the link below to learn more about QHS’ impact on the Kingston region.

Kingston is Home - Partnering for health and wellbeing

Study shows QHS plays key role in Queen’s economic and social impact

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