Media releases

• New professional development program trains Niagara mental health leaders

  Friday, January 31, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 27 January 2020 – R0017

  A custom-designed program for Niagara’s mental health leaders is set to see its first round of graduates this week.

  The partnership between Pathstone Mental Health and Brock University’s Goodman School of Business has seen 27 Pathstone employees complete a 12-week professional development program that focused on key aspects of strategic planning, change management, leadership, performance management, communication and teamwork in the context of the mental health sector.

  Developed by Goodman Group’s Professional Development Office, the Healthcare Business Management Certificate was specially curated to support Pathstone’s unique needs.

  “We were proud to develop and deliver this program that takes a transdisciplinary approach to management development and supports the wonderful work that Pathstone is doing in our community,” said Goodman Group Director Abdul Rahimi.

  The program builds on the partnership between Brock and Pathstone established last year with a memorandum of understanding between the two. For Pathstone CEO Shaun Baylis, the program reflects the organization’s collaborative and consensus-building approach to leadership.

  “It’s important that you cultivate leadership development for successful planning to ensure that we are following our guiding principles to create a centre of excellence,” he said.

  The program’s graduation ceremony will take place Wednesday, Jan. 29 on Bell Let’s Talk Day at Pathstone’s Branscombe Mental Health Centre in St. Catharines.

  Bill Helmeczi, Pathstone Director of Strategic Planning, Standards and Practices, said the program helped develop competencies in an engaging and interesting way.

  “Our agency and programming are excellent; however, our core belief in continuous quality improvement has helped us to discover, create and implement innovative practices and solutions that better support the families and individuals we serve,” he said. “This training is an excellent example of this commitment. Goodman Group worked with us to flesh out a curriculum that would provide a level of management insight and expertise to meet this need.”

  This certificate is just one example of the professional development programs Goodman Group offers the Niagara community. In addition to creating custom professional development based on organizational needs, the group runs a number of programs open to the public. Upcoming courses include the Non-Profit Leadership Certificate and Wine Business Management Certificate.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Expert Advisory: Brock expert says coronavirus could be next SARS

  Friday, January 24, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 January 2020 – R0016

  As reported cases of the Novel coronavirus in China and other east-Asian nations fuel global fears, a Brock University expert says specific factors could influence further transmission.

  With the number of reported cases exceeding 600, including at least 18 deaths, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Eduardo Fernandez, a global health expert, says the current outbreak must be carefully analyzed.

  “The 2019 Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has the potential to become a pandemic just like SARS in 2003,” he says. “Any disease with the potential to extend to several regions of the world must be monitored closely, especially if it’s causing mortality like this one.”

  While the current outbreak of the Novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with no confirmed cases currently in Canada, Fernandez says there are several factors which make it dangerous.

  “It’s a respiratory infection with a virus apparently new to humans, which has shown capacity  for person-to-person transmission through direct contact with respiratory secretions,” he says. “This mode of transmission requires both social distancing as well as intensified hand hygiene. The fact that it is occurring in an area with a very intense trade exchange is of concern, since exchange of people and products can amplify the possibility of more cases in the Pacific Rim.”

  Though measures have been taken to quarantine the city of Wuhan, Fernandez says upcoming celebrations could prove to be problematic.

  “The celebrations of the new Chinese year could represent an additional risk of population movement in areas with active transmission,” he says. “The first cases of 2019-nCoV in Wuhan were timely reported to the World Health Organization in late December 2019, so we are in the first weeks of transmission expansion.

  “If we take SARS as an example, we can expect more cases in the upcoming months. Taking precautions at the individual level would help decrease the risk of infection.”

  Eduardo Fernandez, a global health expert and Assistant Professor of Public Health, is available for interviews.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases