Your Support, Your Impact: Update from Northern Quebec

At the Dr. David S. Mulder Trauma Centre at the Montreal General Hospital, trauma surgeon Dr. Evan Wong and his colleagues work tirelessly to meet the needs of patients in northern communities, from Cree territories along the James Bay to the Inuit population in Nunavik. As part of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the trauma centre covers a territory that includes Cree and Inuit communities in northern Quebec.

Discover the impact of your support in this letter from Dr. Wong:

“Since 2022, we have significantly expanded our ability to see surgical consultations in Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq. In fact, in August 2023, we even performed a first week of surgical procedures in Puvirnituq, completing 19 cholecystectomies and hernia repairs. We just spent another week of surgeries in Puvirnituq and are working on expanding the procedure room in Kuujjuaq. 

We ended up performing another 18 surgeries in Purvinituq in November. This last visit was also quite groundbreaking; I was assisted by Madeline Yaaka (medical student) and Karina Gordon (nursing student), both Inuit McGill students originating from Nunavik! 

From an education perspective, we led an in-person multidisciplinary trauma course in Kuujjuaq, specifically tailored to the needs of local healthcare workers. We held another one at the McGill Simulation Centre in October 2024, where nurses and doctors practicing in Nunavik traveled down for advanced trauma and resuscitation training with our group.

Finally, from a research perspective, we have been working on better describing the epidemiology of trauma in the region. We have proven that the current provincial trauma registry is incomplete and inaccurate and are implementing several mechanisms to ensure that no trauma patient from Nunavik is overlooked or forgotten. This is key to changing policy and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

We thank donors for their ongoing support in achieving these goals.” 

To learn more about the exceptional work of Dr. Wong and his colleagues, please revisit our interview with MGH-MUHC trauma surgeons Dr. Wong and Dr. Jeremy Grushka. Donor support is vital to providing excellence of care to all patients. Please help us fund transformative initiatives that have a significant impact on patient lives.

Your support, your impact. Thank you!