Shadows and Light: An Interview with Heather Patterson.

The editors of Healthcare Quarterly (HQ) recently had the opportunity to speak with Heather Patterson - emergency physician, photographer and author of the recently released book Shadows and Light (Patterson 2022). Through the photographs she took at Calgary-area hospitals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Patterson created a poignant record of how the pandemic affected hospital staff, patients and their families. The book has struck a chord with many Canadians as it offers both an honest appraisal of the dreadful toll of the pandemic while also demonstrating the grace and compassion of healthcare workers.

From the Editors.

As we launch into 2023, the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Canadian healthcare remains deeply concerning. Over the fall and winter months, our systems have experienced crippling levels of hospitalizations due to waves of infectious diseases, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus infection and COVID-19. We have been particularly distressed by the impact to paediatric care, the insufficient capacity in mental health services and the continued strain on our healthcare workforce as well as on patients and families.

From the Editors.

It would be a vast understatement to say that our healthcare systems are facing extraordinary pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed our people and our systems to their limits. We observe with trepidation that the current state of healthcare has not looked more precarious at any time in recent memory. Patients and families are feeling it. Providers, clinicians and leaders in the system are feeling it. And all of us recognize that it will take incredible political will and system-wide commitment to make the changes that are needed to renew and strengthen our front-line teams, structures and capacity. As editors for Healthcare Quarterly (HQ), we see the opportunity to contribute to the daunting task ahead by shining a light on leading practices and lessons learned from implementing change across Canada and beyond. Our commitment is to continue to showcase healthcare leadership in all forms and share opportunities for post-pandemic recovery and the future of healthcare.

From the Editors.

Although we do not yet know how or when the story of COVID-19 ends, Canadians are welcoming the summer of 2022 with the anticipation of the first prolonged period of near normalcy in two-and-a-half years. This sense of renewal coincides with the start of our roles as the new co-editors-in-chief of Healthcare Quarterly (HQ). Building on HQ's 25 years of excellence in sharing leading practices in health services delivery and policy, we are looking forward to taking the journal in new directions. Although both of us of have had long careers in healthcare and have experienced many cycles of change, this particular point in time feels different. Despite the devastating aftermath of this global pandemic, the disruption comes with an extraordinary level of opportunity. It is in thinking about the future state that we have embraced our new leadership roles with HQ.

Resetting the Future of Healthcare Leadership.

There is no doubt that the events of the past two years will leave an indelible mark on human history. The tragic loss of so many lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term health and psychological impacts for many more and the economic and societal changes will reverberate for years to come. While the pandemic is not yet over, we are starting to appreciate how different our new future looks and feels. It is within this context that Longwoods Publishing and the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) have collaborated, for the first time, in a shared reflection on the future of leadership in Canada's healthcare system.

Leadership Perspective: Addressing Canada's Opioid Crisis - Reducing the Harm of Leadership.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the major focus for healthcare leaders since early 2020, the opioid crisis has been growing in the background. Confronting this emerging problem will require new thinking. Guest editors Anne Wojtak and Neil Stuart spoke with Scott Elliott, executive director, and Patrick McDougall, director of Knowledge Translation and Evaluation, at the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation in Vancouver to gain their insights into how leaders can respond effectively.

Mobilizing a Whole Community: Policy and Strategy Implications of an Integrated Local System Response to a Global Health Crisis.

The East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP) include more than 50 organizations working collaboratively to create an integrated system of care in the east end of Toronto. This existing partnership proved invaluable as a platform for a rapid, coordinated local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Months after the first wave of the pandemic began, with the daily numbers of COVID-19 cases finally starting to decline, leaders from ETHP provided preliminary reflections on two critical questions: (1) How were existing integration efforts leveraged to mobilize a response during the COVID-19 crisis? and (2) How can the response to the initial wave of COVID-19 be leveraged to further accelerate integration and better address subsequent waves and system improvements once the pandemic abates?