Humber River Health (Humber), situated in the heart of Northwest Toronto and a key member of the Northwestern Toronto (NWT) Ontario Health Team (OHT), provides care to over 850,000 residents in one of Ontario’s most economically and ethnically diverse areas. A strong sense of community permeates many of the neighbourhoods, and grassroots social and health care initiatives are prevalent. Many of these locally led groups exist to fill in gaps in the system, such as a lack of employment opportunities, social services and culturally relevant programs. 

A diverse population 

The diversity of Humber’s community is its strength and pride. It also brings to light the multifaceted health inequities that many face. Humber serves a community with a greater prevalence of chronic conditions compared to the rest of Ontario. Additionally, as a member of the NWT OHT, Humber has a greater population of seniors aged 80+ years, many of whom live alone. 

The community Humber serves also comes with unique challenges, including poor access to mental healthcare. According to the Toronto Community Health Profiles (2019), Humber’s community ranks in lowest of mental health providers in Toronto in comparison to a very high level of mental health disorders, emphasizing that access to care is a critical priority. 

Coupled with these challenges, Northwest Toronto has also been described as a primary care desert, with a low number of physicians surrounded by a high primary care need. 

Impact on emergency care 

Due to these factors, there is a high reliance on Humber’s Apotex Emergency Department (ED) to offer vital services to those most in need. 

Despite these challenges, Humber has set provincial benchmarks for quality care. With an ED that is the busiest in the province, Humber sees almost 130,000 patients annually, and around 360 patients each day with more than 75 arriving by ambulance. This is almost double the number of ambulances received by neighbouring hospitals. 

Humber manages these volumes and potential obstacles because of its incredible staff, its digital culture that embraces technology, and its drive to achieve positive outcomes and the province’s top marks for quality and safety of care. Without constant innovation, there is no way Humber can do what they do today. 

At Humber, technology is not a luxury, but a necessity. The ED is lighting new ways in healthcare – and is just getting started.