North York General focuses on the future of care

Every workday, registered nurse Shabana Dhanji provides the best care she can to cancer patients in the same clinic that provided treatment to her late mother 30 years ago. The passion Dhanji has for her current job as charge nurse in the chemotherapy clinic at North York General Hospital (NYGH) is the same as it was when she started with the organization 10 years ago.

“Not only do I get to do good for society, I get to honour my mother every single day,” she says. “We treat everybody with respect. My colleagues treat me with respect, and my managers treat me with respect. The hospital’s values jibe with mine, so it makes it easier to work.”

It’s those values of compassion, integrity and respect that have kept current president and CEO Dr. Everton Gooden at North York General for 23 years. “People feel welcomed,” Gooden says. “It feels like a family. When you walk through the hallways, you may not be able to define it, but you will feel it. The calmness that you feel is an extension of the organization’s culture.”

Encompassing central and east North York and people in surrounding districts, NYGH’s rapidly growing local area is home to the highest concentration of seniors in Toronto. As well, more than 50 per cent of people served by NYGH are immigrants and over 50 per cent identify as part of a visible minority group. “We consistently and regularly engage with the community to make sure that we are meeting their needs,” says Gooden.

As head of the country’s top-ranking community academic hospital, Gooden is leading its largest redevelopment since it was built in 1968. A new patient care tower will add more inpatient beds and transform NYGH’s campus of care, currently across seven sites. Over the next few years, NYGH will also build a new 528-bed long-term care development.

“I really, truly feel that this is a special place,” Gooden says. “When people come through the doors, they feel like their care is personalized. People leave feeling like it was care tailored to them.”

Dhanji can provide that exceptional quality of care to her patients because she has the support of her colleagues and managers, she says. Whether she is leading a pilot project with the goal to improve patients’ experience in the chemo clinic or consulting with the hospital’s foundation to create an on-site gym for staff, Dhanji says her work is valued.

“North York General is a very forward-thinking hospital,” she says. “We know we make a difference in people’s lives.” With a diverse workforce serving diverse communities, Gooden believes it is crucial that every member of NYGH’s professional team of just over 5,000 feels that they belong. His passion for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) led him to champion the establishment of the organization’s first EDI Office.

“We recognize individuality,” he says. “Our organization is multicultural. People come together; irrespective of what your background is, you feel supported. People feel they can bring their true selves to the organization.”

Across the organization, a range of holidays – from Hanukkah to Emancipation Day – are celebrated, and a flexible holiday program is in place for non-union and management staff that respects their cultural and religious beliefs.

Dhanji says she chooses to work at NYGH because she knows she not only makes a positive impact on lives but is giving back to the clinic that provided exceptional care to her mother.

“Every cell in me tells me I am here for the right reason. I’m here at North York General because this is my place to be,” she says.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.