This letter was intended to be shared by mail with supporters of Sault Area Hospital Foundation. Due to the distruption in mail services, we are sharing it here with you.
Hello!
We may not have had the opportunity to meet personally, so I’ll start with an introduction: I’m John Heintzman, and I’ve been the Chief of Staff at Sault Area Hospital (SAH) for a little less than a year. As Chief of Staff, I am the head of all medical staff at SAH. That means I'm responsible for providing leadership and guidance to all of the doctors that practice at Sault Area Hospital.
I am proud to be from Sault Ste. Marie, and very happy to have made my way back home to live and practice in the North. I always knew I would end up back here, but I didn’t know when. As many young people do, I graduated from High School and moved away for University. I decided to become a doctor, and my specialty found me through a summer position: for two summers I worked with a Paediatrician who led a child protection team. It was challenging and difficult work. But the team was so caring and passionate. It was then that I started to think about specializing in child psychiatry.
At that time, there were no child psychiatry residency programs in Canada. I applied in the USA and matched with my first choice: Duke University in North Carolina. After residency, we (my wife and I) decided to stay in the States while I practiced in a small underserved area. It takes a while to build your confidence after residency, but I was happy. Then, 9/11 happened. It changed our thinking about raising a family in America. We considered several options, including moving back to the Soo, but selected an opportunity in Kitchener/Waterloo where we had gone to school.
In 2002, I started working as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Grand River Hospital, and a few years into my time there I became the Chief of Psychiatry. It was a wonderful opportunity: I helped to grow the program, and recruit more doctors. I spent 19 years in that role – but after so long away, it became clear: it was time to move back to the Soo. I wanted to make a contribution to care here. I saw the Chief of Staff position at SAH advertised, and applied. It all came together at the perfect time. I started work at SAH in January 2024, and what a year it's been!
There have been some pretty major milestones for Sault Area Hospital in the last year, and donors have played a critical role in all of them. One of the first I witnessed was the opening of our second cardiac catherization laboratory. Your generosity has ensured this lab has all of the tools to help find and fix blocked arteries in the heart. Thanks to you, we can treat acute heart attacks and perform angiograms, here at home. New programs and services like these are only possible because of your support.
Then, in February, we had to replace the linear accelerator in the Algoma District Cancer Program (ADCP). This is the tool used to provide radiation treatment to cancer patients. The unit was taken out of service, and families had to travel to Sudbury for treatment for 6 months. I know how hard it is to travel for care, especially when you're sick. This was the reality for so many before the new hospital was built. Donations like yours made radiation services available in Algoma, back in 2011. And thousands of community donations, big and small, made it possible again this year. Radiation Therapy restarted in August, and will hopefully keep more people local for cancer care. Your gifts are helping us keep this service going for another decade, right here at SAH.
Then, in the fall, we celebrated the one year anniversary of opening Northway Wellness Centre. I wasn't at SAH when Northway first opened, but I've certainly seen the impact its had. Hundreds of people have accessed critical mental health and addictions care there over the last year, in a space that was purpose-built to be respectful and welcoming to those seeking support. This was a huge step forward for care in our community. Community support, like the support you have generously given, was critical to funding this project and expanding care.
Your donations, no matter the size, are making outstanding care possible at Sault Area Hospital – helping add, grow and preserve the services SAH provides. It truly takes a community to accomplish these milestones, and I'm amazed by the community support our hospital has. I hope you know how excited we are to have these tools and programs here – how it changes care in our community. We've come so far, and I want you to know how grateful we are to have your support. We wouldn't be the hospital we are without you!
I’ve experienced healthcare across Ontario and the States, but I have to say: it’s different at SAH. When I worked in Kitchener, sending patients to the next hospital was more accessible. There, you can drive 30 minutes and be at a different hospital. But here, we’re all working together to figure it out. We even have specialists who come from out-of-town to offer their service here, so patients can avoid traveling.
We all know how difficult it is right now to attract new doctors and specialized medical staff. Recent graduates want to practice with the state-of-art equipment they were trained with. Like I said – it takes time to build confidence as a new doctor: you want to be using familiar tools and technology. Your investments in equipment help recruit new care providers to SAH. Keeping our tools up-to-date is vital in how we want to grow, especially if SAH hopes to continue hosting medical students and residents. These learners train on the most recent equipment. If you don’t have that, your facility will get passed by.
You may be thinking, “This guy is a child psychiatrist – what does he know about equipment? All he needs is a pen, notepad, maybe a drawing board, and a crayon.” And you’re right. But I know new equipment in our hospital is allowing my colleagues to deliver better care. I hear about it from them. They tell me they can be faster, more precise, and, with the right information, they can give patients the treatment they need sooner. And I've seen it myself: my family depends on this hospital for care, too.
It gives me tremendous comfort knowing SAH is here for my family and yours. In the past, my family members have had to travel out of town to receive important care. They needed critical services that just weren’t available in our community at that time. Over the years, SAH has done so much to bring new programs and services to our hospital, impacting thousands of families, including mine. That’s why I donate – I see the difference donations make for our hospital and for our community.
The way I see it, when you donate to Sault Area Hospital Foundation, you contribute twice. Once, is for the medical equipment your donation will fund. But the second gift is that vote of confidence to the staff, the physicians and the leadership of our hospital. Your donation says, "we believe in you, we have confidence in you, and we’re putting our trust in you". That show of support is significant.
When I walk the hallways at SAH, I feel hopeful. I see the hundreds of names on our donor recognition walls, and I look forward to reading your messages on our "Tree of Hope" in the lobby this holiday season. Seeing these things reminds me that families put their trust in us. They value what we do, so we can continue providing the best possible care. It’s a privilege in medicine to receive that trust. I’m proud of our community, and I’m proud to practice at SAH.
Your support of our hospital goes far beyond what money can buy. Your gifts keep patient care close to home. Your contributions help attract new talent to our care teams. Your donations inspire staff at SAH: you give us the will to keep going. And what a precious gift that is.
Wishing you warmth, joy and good health for the holiday season,
Dr. John Heintzman, FRCPC
Chief of Staff, Sault Area Hospital
P.S. I can't wait to read your message on our "Tree of Hope"!
Make a gift, send a message of hope, and support Sault Area Hospital.
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