A pandemic hiatus in the collection of surplus medical supplies at the University Health Network has turned out to be a blessing for people in Ukraine, who are in desperate need of medical items.
“Because we regularly do a monthly collection and we haven’t been able to do it for just the past couple of months because Omicron made it too dangerous for the volunteers who usually come in here and collect the supplies, we had a lot of people who were already collecting a lot of supplies in their departments end,” says Lisa Vanlint, coordinator of the hospital network’s Operation Green.
Operation Green makes sure extra hospital supplies don’t go to waste by sending them to places in need like earthquake zones, other natural disasters — and right now, Ukraine.
In fact, because there had been a buildup of available items like catherization kits, splints and bandages, UHN was already able to send 46 boxes of supplies to Ukraine last week.
UHN, which includes Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret, has been partnering over the years with Not Just Tourists, a charitable organization. For this initiative, they’ve also joined forces with the Canada Ukraine Foundation.
“We are all trying to do all we can” says Juliet Lev, medical a dvisor at Not Just Tourists. “It’s not enough but if everybody can give what they can, hopefully it will help a little bit.”
Not Just Tourists has been collecting and sorting the items at Roncesvalles United Church and will ship the second batch of boxes overseas soon.
Operation Green has a list of required items, tailored to the needs of the war zone environment rather than general healthcare, and they point out that medications are not able to be included.
Below is a list of medical items requested:
High winds knocked out power in thousands of homes in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. Friday night as people in Atlantic Canada began feeling the wrath of Fiona.
One reason why Hurricane Fiona is already being labelled a ‘historical storm’ for Eastern Canada is because of its unusual left hook. Tracking for the storm released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that, once it passes the 40th parallel north, its trajectory appears to veer slightly left, taking it straight to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
CTV News has launched a live tracker of Hurricane Fiona, which is expected to make landfall in Canada on Saturday morning.
Shaggy, long-maned wild horses grazing freely on the sandy grasslands of the crescent-shaped Sable Island in the North Atlantic are expected to come under the swipe of a powerful storm forecast to hit eastern Canada this weekend.
Hurricane Fiona is heading to Atlantic Canada, likely to leave a path of heavy rain, strong winds, power outages and flooding in its wake. CTVNews.ca shows five graphics that demonstrate its destructive potential.
A new online survey has found that more than half of Gen Z and millennial Canadians, at 55 per cent, have indicated needing a financial inheritance to reach their financial goals, including staying personally afloat, buying a house or having a child.
Canada's foreign affairs minister is laying blame on the Iranian regime for the recent death of a woman, who was detained for allegedly violating the country's forced veiling laws.
A strong undersea earthquake shook Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties and officials said there was no threat of a tsunami.
Roger Federer bid adieu Friday night with one last contest before he heads into retirement at age 41 after a superlative career that included 20 Grand Slam titles and a statesman's role.
Outgoing Quebec Premier François Legault said he is suspending his campaign 'until further notice' as his government is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Fiona, which is headed for eastern Quebec.
Protesters demanding more action on climate change from elected officials booed and insulted Quebec environment minister Benoit Charette Friday in Montreal while the minister was holding a press conference.
Employees at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) say they have experienced incidents of racism and discrimination 'of various forms' at work.
Starting Monday, Sept. 26 Ontarians aged 18 and older will be eligible to receive the bivalent COVID-19 booster dose.
The municipal election campaign in London has taken yet another ugly turn, on multiple fronts.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the Grand Theatre’s High School Project has returned for its 24th season.
In the decade and a half since Lucas Shortreed was killed in a hit and run, Jesse Matthews says he never lost hope someone would be charged in his friends death.
The two people charged in connection to the death of Lucas Shortreed have been granted bail.
Those who knew Brian Jolley say he brought a smile and infectious personality wherever he went.
The City of Timmins sent in crews to clean up the encampment area under the overpass on Algonquin Boulevard on Friday morning.
As the promised $10-a-day daycare program is rolled out, there are 1,500 children on a waitlist for childcare in the Sault.
The remains of a 74-year-old man from Chapleau have been recovered after he went missing on Ruth Lake, located about 15 kilometres south of the community.
The head of a group with ties to the Freedom Convoy says they are planning to leave an Ottawa church after a judge ordered the group can be evicted.
Norma Mullen is on a waitlist at a long-term care home after falling and breaking her hip, but has been told the wait for a bed could be years.
A frost advisory is in effect for Ottawa, with temperatures expected to fall near the freezing mark Friday night.
An auto analyst specializing in vehicle forecasting expects the Dodge Challenger and Charger, along with the new Chrysler Airflow will be built at Windsor Assembly Plant.
A coroner’s inquest into the death of a Windsor man who was shot by police concluded Friday with the jury making several recommendations for police, hospital and government in their verdict.
As the opioid crisis continues in Windsor-Essex with an increasing number of visits to hospital emergency departments each year, Windsor Regional Hospital is now offering fentanyl test strips to curb misuse or overdose.
Primrose Elementary School in Mulmur has been using portable toilets and trailer bathrooms since school began due to a lack of water pressure inside the facility.
Investigators ask for the public's help to solve a hit and run case after a pedestrian was allegedly struck by a vehicle in Midland.
Just as the calendar switches to fall, an annual seasonal favourite has returned to the heart of Coldwater.
Hurricane Fiona approaches the Maritimes, with landfall forecast for eastern Nova Scotia early Saturday morning.
As Hurricane Fiona continues to pick up speed moving toward Atlantic Canada, emergency management offices (EMOs) across the region are working with community partners to help keep residents safe during the storm.
Hurricane Fiona is expected to bring heavy wind and rain conditions to Atlantic Canada - here is a list of cancellations and closures across the region due to the storm.
Alberta's outgoing premier and the leader of the provincial opposition party each had the ears of hundreds of municipal heads in Calgary on Friday.
Alberta is the latest Canadian province to stand behind the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism.
A girl fell from a fourth-floor balcony of an apartment complex in southeast Calgary Friday.
New polling from Probe Research finds Glen Murray is still the candidate to beat in Winnipeg’s upcoming mayoral election.
The Canadian Museum For Human Rights (CMHR) is marking a grim anniversary for the Philippines.
A group of local organizations is calling for a major overhaul of Portage Place mall in Downtown Winnipeg with a focus on community.
Two Vancouver mothers say the same man who chased and yelled at a woman in Yaletown this week also threatened to "kill children" in a nearby park that same afternoon. But when they called 911 for help, they say, no officers arrived.
The ongoing battle over the Surrey police transition could become more complicated – and may have other cities thinking twice before considering a similar move – after a mayoral candidate pledged to wind back the clock if she’s elected.
A B.C. doctor is sounding the alarm, saying women are waiting months for biopsies to determine if they have breast cancer.
The leader of the Edmonton Police Association wants an apology from the local Bear Clan after a video the group posted accused a police officer of brutality during an arrest he was not involved in.
A 58-year-old Edmonton man was arrested Friday morning after RCMP say he was caught driving 85 kilometers over the speed limit near Fort Saskatchewan.
The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) sent an open letter Thursday, calling for increased services and shelter spaces for the growing number of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness.
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