ICU Bridge Program Information

The ICU Bridge Program is a new initiative started on December 28, 2015 by 2 McGill students, Adamo Donovan and Milanka Stevanovic, in collaboration with Dr. David Hornstein, an internist/intensivist at the Montreal General Hospital Intensive Care Unit (MGH ICU). At the time, Adamo and Milanka were co-directors of the McGill Medical Direction Shadowing Program (www.icubridgeprogram.org/sponsors) and had approached Dr. Hornstein to ask if he would be willing to let students shadow. Instead, Dr. Hornstein proposed the idea of a program meant to target the lack of patient communication in the ICU, a traditionally stressful, confusing, emotionally charged, and sometimes unwelcoming environment for both patients and family members. This program was meant to continue the mission of the Lauren Alexander Foundation (www.icubridgeprogram.org/sponsors): providing simple, heartfelt gestures to help aleviate the immense stress that family and friends experience when visiting their loved one in critical condition. Thus, the ICU Bridge Program was born. The program began with 14 students who volunteered and shadowed during the Winter 2016 semester. The program now includes the Jewish General Hospital Medical Surgical and Royal Victoria Hospital (Glen Site) ICU and over 160 bilingual volunteers from 5 different universities (McGill, Concordia, UdeM, Bishop's, and UdeLaval). Our program is set to grow even further to other Montreal ICUs that have shown increasing interest in our innovative program. This page will feature updates regarding the ICU Bridge Program and "Humans of the Hospital", a photoblog that will be featuring all kinds of people who either volunteer or work as part of the ICU Bridge Program team. To find out more or if you are interested in applying, please visit: www.icubridgeprogram.org www.lepontdesoins.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ICUbridgeprogram/ Follow us on Instagram: @icubridgeprogram (www.instagram.com/icubridgeprogram/)