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The Barrett Family Foundation Helps Build Extraordinary in Healthcare
In a powerful show of generosity and vision, the Barrett Family Foundation has made a historic donation to St. Joseph’s Health Centre—part of Unity Health Toronto—to launch the Barrett Centre for Quality Improvement (BCQI).
This transformative gift is helping shape the future of healthcare by enabling one of the most ambitious quality improvement programs ever undertaken in a Canadian community hospital.
Building Better Care, Together
The BCQI will empower staff, physicians, patients, and families to work together to improve care in meaningful and lasting ways.
Rooted in Unity Health Toronto’s eight dimensions of quality—including timely, safe, equitable, and patient- and family-centred care—and backed by LEAN Six Sigma methodologies, this initiative will drive real change across the organization.
“Community hospitals are where most Canadians receive care. This gift allows us to improve that care by investing in projects led by our frontline care providers.” — Dr. Sharon Straus, Chief Medical Officer, Unity Health Toronto
What the BCQI Will Do
With the Barrett Family Foundation’s support, the BCQI will:
- Build capacity for quality improvement through coaching, training and resources for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals
- Invest in frontline-led projects that improve outcomes and efficiency
- Engage patients and families as key partners in shaping care
- Share learnings through an annual symposium and collaboration across hospitals
“This isn’t just about doing better—it’s about building a culture of improvement and innovation that lasts. We call that building extraordinary.”
– Maria Dyck, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation.
A Shift in Where Innovation Happens
While major investments in healthcare innovation have traditionally focused on academic settings, this gift marks a turning point—one that recognizes the impact and potential of community hospitals like St. Joe’s.
“This gift will help make St. Joe’s—and all of Unity Health—a proving ground for what’s possible in healthcare quality improvement,” said Dr. Straus. “Because when you start with compassion, and back it with innovation, extraordinary happens here.”
More to Come
As the Barrett Centre for Quality Improvement takes shape, we look forward to sharing stories of the real-world changes made possible by this incredible investment—and the lives improved through better care.
Learn more about the future of healthcare at St. Joe’s.
Our donors, like The Barrett Family Foundation and the thousands who have stood by us, build extraordinary at St. Joe’s. Read about the impact donors have made possible at St. Joe’s in the past year.
