Progressing Adolescent Health: Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations and TD Bank Group enter 10-year commitment to help improve adolescent health across Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations (CCHF) announces a new, multi-year partnership with TD Bank Group (TD) to help improve adolescent health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, the Bank's global corporate citizenship program, this donation of $15 million nationally over 10 years will support CCHF's network of children's hospital foundations serving children from coast to coast to coast. This includes an initial $500,000 program grant to SickKids Foundation to create a youth-friendly online health hub on the hospital's dedicated health resource AboutKidsHealth.ca

For 26 years, TD has been a supporter of children's hospitals in Canada through their Children's Miracle Network partnership, which has raised more than $95 million. Their cumulative contribution to date, supports revolutionizing treatment and care through research, creating healing environments, and delivering the right care at the right place at the right time.

"There has never been a time where adolescent physical and mental health has been more pressing," says Andrea Barrack, Global Head, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group. "Through the TD Ready Commitment, we are thrilled to support Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations in creating improved health outcomes for Canadian youth over the next ten years."

Based on current findings from Accessing Centre for Expertise (ACE) at the University of Toronto, adolescence is a dynamic period which has a significant impact on a person's overall health and development. Six pressing priorities for youth in Canada include:

• Mental Health
• Relationships with food
• Sexual and reproductive health
• Gender Identity
• Chronic Conditions
• Transitions to adult care

The research also concluded that racialized, LGBTQ2S+ and low-income youth experience pronounced health issues, confirming what Canada's children's hospital see on the ground. These health inequities are also being further exacerbated by a multitude of factors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While adolescents face considerable health challenges, this phase of development is also one of hope. It has been framed as a "window of opportunity", during which interventions have the potential to profoundly impact health and developmental trajectories. CCHF will work with its member hospital foundations to direct TD's donation to the most pressing local needs. Please click here to access the full whitepaper and gain more information on the partnership.

"We are thankful for a long history of support from TD, and its employees in support of children's hospitals across Canada, both nationally and locally. Through our renewed strategic partnership, we will begin to focus on an important area of health relating to adolescents during this critical and complex time of their development," says Mark Hierlihy, President & CEO of Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations. "TD's support of programs at our network of children's hospitals and investment in youth will have a long-term payoff to Canada."

TD's investment includes an annual program grant of $500,000. Member foundations will be able to apply for the grant on an annual basis to deliver programs aligned with the TD Ready Commitment. SickKids Foundation is the first recipient and will use the grant to create a national online resource that will empower youth, their caregivers and care providers to better manage adolescent health needs and risks.

"Although adolescents may not ask directly, they value and look to their healthcare providers for trusted information about their physical and mental health as well as behaviours that may impact their health," explains Alene Toulany, an Adolescent Medicine Specialist at SickKids. "Having a central site with evidence-based information about current adolescent health issues will assist young people across the country looking for reliable answers to their often-sensitive questions. Active engagement of teens in the development of this online resource will also ensure that we are reaching all young people in meaningful ways."

About Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations
Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations (CCHF), established in 2017, is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for a national network of hospital foundations as the largest single, non-government funder of child health in Canada. CCHF continues to receive generous support through donors within Children's Miracle Network® as well as contributions from additional companies and donors. Together, we represent 13 of Canada's children's hospitals where the greatest challenges are tackled; our hospitals see the most critical cases. Your contribution helps your local children's hospital ensure that all sick and injured children have access to the very best care from coast to coast. For more information on this partnership, click here.

TD Ready Commitment – The Bank's Global Corporate Citizenship Platform
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues, and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident - not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit the TD Ready Commitment website.

About Accessing Centre for Expertise (ACE)
The Accessing Centre for Expertise (ACE) is based in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. The ACE mission is to make it easier for a diverse range of health organizations to connect to the breadth and depth of our multidisciplinary faculty and graduate student expertise. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health is the largest public health school in Canada and one of the largest in the world. Almost 800 faculty hold academic appointments in the School, training over 1,000 graduate students. Our research has an impact locally, nationally and globally. For further information, visit https://ace.ihpme.utoronto.ca

For further information:
Brady Hambleton
VP, Marketing, Engagement & Analytics Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations
[phone]
[email protected]  
www.childrenshospitals.ca  

Heather Reinsborough,
Corporate & Public Affairs TD Bank Group
[email protected]  
www.td.com/ca/en/about-td/ready-commitment/  

SOURCE Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations

Related Links

http://childrenshospitals.ca/