As a specialty hospital in Toronto that provides care for people who face multiple barriers to having their basic needs met, Casey House was pleased to share our recommendations for the 2023 Ontario Budget, as part of the public consultation process.
Casey House is committed to understanding our clients’ health concerns in the broader context of their lives. With the continuing drug poisoning crisis, housing crisis, and rising cost of living, the need to address the social factors that determine health and well-being is beyond urgent.
Casey House’s recommendations at a glance
While progress has been made in communities across the province, there is much more work to do – particularly to support people in high need for housing, mental health, and substance use supports. As a hospital, Casey House encourages the Ontario government to increase and improve access to:
Supportive housing for people coping with mental health and substance use challenges
Mental health and addictions care that doesn’t require abstinence from substance use
Wide-ranging harm reduction services and supports as part of overall health care
Casey House's recommendations
Read our full pre-budget submission for the 2023 Ontario Budget
The provincial government will table its 2023 Budget this spring.
Casey House recognizes and acknowledges that systemic inequities deeply affect our clients, and believes it is our responsibility to advocate for compassionate and socially-just health care. Our advocacy seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent optimal health, and improve the well-being of all people living with or at risk of HIV. To learn more, visit Advocacy.
As a specialty hospital in Toronto that provides care for people who face multiple barriers to having their basic needs met, Casey House was pleased to comment on the City of Toronto’s 2023 Budget, as part of the public consultation process.
Casey House is committed to understanding our clients’ health concerns in the broader context of their lives – including their housing and income situations, which continue to be areas of high need. With the continuing drug poisoning crisis, housing crisis, and rising cost of living, the need to address the social factors that determine health and well-being is beyond urgent.
Casey House’s recommendations at a glance
While progress has been made to improve the health and well-being of people in Toronto, there is much more work to do – particularly to support the estimated 18,000 people experiencing homelessness in our city, while they continue to wait for more safe, affordable, and supportive housing. As a hospital, Casey House encourages the City of Toronto to increase and improve access to:
Emergency shelter spaces with citywide locations that enable people to remain geographically close to their support systems and networks.
Low-barrier 24-hour drop-in spaces, respite sites, warming centres during winter months, and fixed-site cooling centres during summer months.
Storage services for personal belongings, such as medications and critical documentation.
Income tax clinics and identification clinics to enable more people to apply for long-term housing and income support programs.
The Budget Committee wraps up its review process January 24, Mayor John Tory releases proposed budget by February 1, City Council votes on the budget February 14.
Casey House's recommendations
Read our full letter to the City of Toronto’s 2023 Budget Committee
Toronto residents and businesses are encouraged to participate in the process, and can provide written comments and feedback to the Budget Committee by email: buc@toronto.ca. Learn more at the City of Toronto’s website.
Casey House recognizes and acknowledges that systemic inequities deeply affect our clients, and believes it is our responsibility to advocate for compassionate and socially-just health care. Our advocacy seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent optimal health, and improve the well-being of all people living with or at risk of HIV. To learn more, visit Advocacy.
In celebration of the 12 Days of Casey House Christmas
1st day: One Inhalation SCS booth. Casey House was proud to open the first indoor supervised inhalation space for substance use in the province. Adding the option to smoke illicit drugs to our other supervised consumption services (SCS), allows people to use safely with privacy and dignity, and helps prevent overdose deaths. SCS is open to inpatient clients 24 hours a day, and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on weekdays for outpatient clients.
2nd day: Two streams of service (inpatient/outpatient). Our hospital provides care to the community in two different ways. Our traditional 14 inpatient rooms are for those needing 24/7 nursing care and daily access to a physician. Outpatient clients can access the nursing clinic, supervised consumption services, individual appointments with a range of clinicians, and group programming.
3rd day: Three pressing issues for Toronto. Casey House is advocating for the City of Toronto to address three pressing issues that impact people in high need: deep poverty; toxic supply of unregulated drugs; and criminalization of drugs and the people who use them. Learn more about these issues and our recommendations here.
4th day: Four Intro to Harm Reduction Education videos. Our four-part Harm Reduction Capacity Building Training series helps health care and support service providers caring for people affected by HIV contextualize unique lived experiences. Originally created as an internal learning resource for staff , the limited series was repurposed to share our principles of trauma-informed care and harm reduction widely. The series features members of Casey House’s network of community organizations.
5th day: Five episodes of Positively Speaking. Our audio podcast Positively Speaking launched in 2020 and shares first-person accounts of life with HIV. Each episode discusses how living with HIV impacts other facets of one’s life, like relationships or mental health. We’re excited to announce that season 2 is set to release in early 2023, making now the perfect time to catch up and relisten to season 1. Positively Speaking is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on our website.
6th day: Six real stories of stigma. Alongside our release of Others, the dramatic short film, we created six short documentaries featuring real people recounting real stigma. Peter, Alphonso, Amutha, Ower, Brenden, and Alex shared their experiences in dealing with HIV stigma and overcoming it. Watch them all here at SmashStigma.ca
7th day: Seventh local hospital to receive a sacred Indigenous hand drum. In April, Casey House was grateful to receive a sacred drum for clients, staff, peers, volunteers and families to use for ceremonies and spiritual practices. The drum was gifted by The Toronto Central Regional Indigenous Cancer Program (TCR-ICP) in recognition of Casey House’s ongoing work and commitment to build relationships and improve the care and experience of Indigenous staff and community members.
8thday: Eight featured storytellers at Voices for World AIDS Day.On World AIDS Day, we were honoured to hear from eight incredible Black women who have made strides in the HIV sector. Artists, advocates, and community health leaders, we were moved by stories from d’bi.young anitafrika, Jully Black, Racquel Bremmer, Sane Dube, Muluba Habanyama, Molly Johnson, Marvelous Muchenje, and Lena Soje.
9th day: Nine new outpatient group offerings: Pantry builders, Housing Information, Navigating Grief, The Heart of Art, Winter Warm-up, Pet Therapy, Indigenous Cultural Fridays, Indigenous Grief and Healing, and Indigenous Drumming Circle are nine new programs being offered in our Winter season. We applaud the day health team for continually creating new and exciting programs for our clients.
10th day: Ten co-authors on the MRAT poster: This summer, the Casey House research team presented their Multipurpose Resilience Assessment Tool at the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal. This integrated client engagement, assessment and follow-up tool that also generates holistic health data was designed by an interdisciplinary working group.
11th day: Eleven o’clock healing drum circle on Tuesdays: Each Tuesday afternoon from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Rod Michano, Spiritual Advisor from PWA, hosts a circle for learning about Indigenous identity and to support our Indigenous clients’ health. Check out our Winter DHP schedule for more info!
12th day: Twelve o’clock lunch program: Every weekday at noon, staff and volunteers provide hundreds of hot meals for our client to provide nourishment and an opportunity for socialization. In the first six months of this fiscal year, we provided 7,911 lunches!
As a specialty hospital that provides care for people living with and at risk of HIV, Casey House was pleased to comment on federal Bill C-22 – Canada Disability Benefit Act, which seeks to establish the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities.
Casey House serves clients with disabilities, particularly those with illnesses or conditions that are “episodic” – meaning, they vary in severity and duration and can include periods of wellness. Most clients are HIV+ and contend with multiple chronic conditions – many of which are exacerbated by the overdose crisis, housing crisis, and rising cost of living. Our hospital is committed to understanding our clients’ health concerns in the broader context of their lives – including their income and financial situation, which is an area of high need.
Casey House’s brief at a glance
With the rising cost of living and risk of a recession, the need for the CDB is urgent. Casey House calls for the swift passage of Bill C-22 so that this disability benefit can be designed and delivered as quickly as possible to:
1. Support people with episodic disabilities living in poverty: examples of episodic disabilities include chronic conditions and diseases such as HIV, mental illness, and substance use disorder. People with episodic disabilities face unique barriers to financial security and require supports that enable them to meet their basic needs.
2. Reach people with disabilities living in poverty who face barriers to filing income tax returns: the CDB would be based on annual income tax returns, however for people living in deep poverty, such as those without housing, it can be difficult to file their taxes regularly. If barriers to tax filing are not addressed, we risk the CDB not reaching those who need it most.
3. Ensure that people with disabilities living in poverty continue to have uninterrupted access to health benefits through provincial disability support programs: most Casey House clients receive income support from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which also provides coverage for life-saving medications. Implementing the CDB will require coordination between different levels of government to ensure people have continued, uninterrupted access to provincial health benefits to meet their health care needs.
This bill is currently being studied by a Parliamentary Committee in the House of Commons, and must pass both the House and Senate in order to become law. The faster Bill C-22 is passed, the faster the Canada Disability Benefit can be designed and delivered to reach all working-age people with disabilities living in poverty, to improve their financial security and health and wellbeing.
Casey House's brief on Bill C-22
Read our full submission to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA)
Casey House recognizes and acknowledges that systemic inequities deeply affect our clients, and believes it is our responsibility to advocate for compassionate and socially-just health care. Our advocacy seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent optimal health, and improve the well-being of all people living with or at risk of HIV. To learn more, visit Advocacy.
TORONTO, ON (November 16, 2022) – Today, Casey House clients are able to smoke substances on-site as part of its hospital-based supervised consumption services (SCS). This development makes Casey House the first site in the province to offer indoor supervised inhalation.
Adding this form of consumption, in addition to injection, snorting or eating, as an option for clients makes safer drug use and overdose prevention more accessible. Smoking is an increasingly common method of drug consumption and will make Casey House’s SCS accessible for even more people. Having a safe indoor space allows people to safely use substances with privacy and dignity.
Additionally, research from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario shows that there has been a significant shift towards inhalation-related deaths during the pandemic. In 2020 in Ontario, just over one-third of deaths were inhalation-related – an 11% increase from pre-pandemic times. The report points to the need for more harm reduction services tailored specifically to this mode of drug use, including supervised inhalation services.
Supervised inhalation is also highly recommended by community stakeholders. Recently, inhalation was endorsed in the toolkit Twelve characteristics of client-centred supervised consumption services (SCS), developed by the Engage with Harm Reduction study that featured input from Casey House staff, peers and community members.
Casey House’s SCS are open to registered clients 24 hours a day on the inpatient unit and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for outpatients, and are integrated into its regular health services. Clients use their own drugs while being monitored by trained staff who can provide emergency medical care in case of overdose. Drug testing and supervision at an SCS substantially reduce the risk of overdose and death, and increase access to sterile equipment, education on safer use, and health and social services. Supervised inhalation is for unregulated substances only; neither tobacco nor cannabis can be smoked in the SCS.
Casey House CEO Joanne Simons is proud to be expanding the supervised consumption services for the hospital’s clients, and says, “We were able to do this in a cost-effective manner, and believe this is a critical health care investment for organizations and governments to improve health care outcomes for people who use drugs.”
Simons goes on to say how much the hospital acknowledges and is grateful for the ground-breaking work of the harm reduction community across the country, such as sites like Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatchewan and Blood Ties in Yukon. She looks forward to other organizations being able to also offer this much-needed service.
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Casey House is unlike any other hospital. We are a specialty hospital in Toronto providing ground-breaking care to people living with and at risk of HIV. Together with our clients, staff, peers and volunteers, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe. We offer a growing mix of inpatient, outpatient and community-based services that meet clients where they are in their individual journeys of health and wellness. Building on a legacy of advocacy and social justice, we actively dismantle barriers to care and safe living. We provide a community and sense of belonging that connects people to care. The humanity of each client is at the heart of everything we do.
To book an interview with Casey House chief executive officer Joanne Simons, or for more information, contact:
Cinematic short marks the first time an actor is cast specifically because of their HIV status
TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Casey House – a hospital unlike any other providing care to those living with and at risk of HIV – is utilizing cinematic horror to bring attention to HIV stigma. Others – directed by renowned filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Shkordoff – sets out to highlight the impact of judgement and what it can feel like to be haunted by stigma. This film marks the first time a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
“As a hospital that strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, we’re also tackling the deeply ingrained stigma associated with HIV,” says Joanne Simons, Casey House CEO. “Others will spark needed conversation on the impacts of stigma that people living with HIV face every day. Horror is a genre that allows for complex social issues to be presented in a compelling way. An evolution of the hospital’s ongoing #SmashStigma initiative, the Others campaign looks to harness the power of fear – which fuels stigma – to spark conversations around outdated misconceptions about HIV.”
“There are various reasons why horror films are capable of triggering strong emotional reactions related to fear,” says Dr. Joseph LeDoux, Professor of Neuroscience at New York University. “Research shows that both traditional fight-or-flight responses, and an individual’s personal and prior experiences, contribute to how one will respond to horror films. I believe that the unique power of horror films is that they bring on an immediate response in a relatable and engaging way in a safe setting.”
Despite medical advances in effective treatment for people living with HIV, the disease is still shrouded by prejudice and discrimination lingering from the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. According to data from UNAIDS, “across nearly all regions there are countries where large proportions of adults continue to hold discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV.” And, according to The Positive Effect, 80% of those living with HIV in Canada have concerns about disclosing their HIV status due to stigma.
“When I first read the Others casting call for an HIV+ actor I thought this sounded like an interesting project I wanted to be a part of,” says Peter McPherson, UK-based actor and lead protagonist of the film. “But when I read the script, I instantly felt an intimate connection to the character. I get what the character has gone through,” he continues. “I’ve experienced the fear that stigma creates.”
Representation in film helps open people’s eyes to the experiences and challenges of others. While this film is a work of fiction, Others was inspired by the lived experiences of HIV+ individuals, six of whose stories are featured at the end of the film.
“The effects of discrimination are felt by the HIV+ community every day,” says Alex, a documentary participant involved in the project. “This film is a powerful tool in showing audiences the repercussions of discrimination while sharing stories from HIV+ individuals who continue to overcome stigma.”
Visit SmashStigma.ca to watch the film and learn more and follow on social: #smashstigma.
To access the campaign film trailer and high-res images, please visit: here.
To book an interview with any of our following spokespeople or for more information about Others please contact:
Joseph LeDoux, Professor of Psychology/Neuroscience at New York University.
Dr. Trevor Hart, Director of the HIV Prevention Lab and Psychology Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University
About Casey House: Casey House is unlike any other hospital. We are a specialty hospital in Toronto providing ground-breaking care to people living with and at risk of HIV. Together with our clients, staff, peers and volunteers, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe. We offer a growing mix of inpatient, outpatient and community-based services that meet clients where they are in their individual journeys of health and wellness. Building on a legacy of advocacy and social justice, we actively dismantle barriers to care and safe living. We provide a community and sense of belonging that connects people to care. The humanity of each client is at the heart of everything we do.
This summer, Casey House was pleased to contribute our insights on the current state of the City of Toronto’s drug policy and programming, including our clients’ perspectives on decriminalizing personal drug possession. In view of the upcoming municipal election, we are highlighting some of the most pressing issues our clients face, and key actions the city must prioritize to improve the health and well-being of Torontonians in high socio-economic need.
For many people, substance use is a way to cope with intersecting challenges such as trauma, poverty, homelessness and mental health concerns, which can create multiple barriers to having one’s basic needs met. At Casey House, our clients face many of these hurdles, which have an impact on their health and well-being. Our hospital is committed to understanding our clients’ health concerns in the broader context of their lives, and to actively dismantling barriers to care and safe living. All levels of government have a vital role to play in addressing the social factors that determine health and well-being, and in improving health care and outcomes for people in high need. While considerable progress has been made in recent years, there is much more work to do.
In Toronto, three pressing issues that any municipal policy or program must consider and address are:
1. Deep poverty: inadequate income and chronic homelessness 2. Toxic supply of unregulated drugs and growing risk of drug-related harms 3. Criminalization of drugs and the people who use them
1. Deep poverty: inadequate income and chronic homelessness
For many of our clients, an extremely low income creates barriers to safe and healthy living. For those who qualify for income support programs, the amount of money a single person receives is not nearly enough to cover basic needs and shelter. For instance, many clients receive support from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works (OW) – the maximum monthly rates for which are $1,228 and $733 respectively. Even in stronger economic times, these rates are far below the poverty line, let alone during this period of high inflation, when even higher income earners struggle to make ends meet.
Unsurprisingly, a related challenge is access to safe, affordable, and supportive housing – the demand for which far exceeds supply. The constant lack of emergency shelter spaces affects the ability of hospitals like Casey House to safely discharge unhoused patients so they can manage their health beyond their stay. As one long-time Casey House nurse expressed, “We call Central Intake [for emergency shelter space], and no beds are available…I’ve never seen it worse.” The situation is further aggravated by obstacles to obtaining required documentation to apply for potential housing. Our team of social workers see these roadblocks far too often: “getting ID is a nightmare for people” because of the limited services available, and “it can be difficult for people without housing to get their taxes done regularly”.
Even when people are housed and have access to programs like ODSP, it is still not enough to pay for food, transportation, and other basic needs.
Actions for the City of Toronto:
Champion income support programs and policies at all levels of government that respond to the cost of living (higher benefit rates), and provide people with the income they need when they need it (such as bi-monthly payments)
Prioritize and/or leverage city resources to increase and improve:
Immediate access to safe, high quality emergency shelter spaces that don’t require abstinence from substance use, and storage services for personal belongings
Access to transitional and supportive housing for people struggling with substance use and mental health challenges
Access to affordable housing, such as rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing, that integrates vital harm reduction strategies and supports
Access to tax clinics and identification clinics with citywide locations and hours of operation that respond to the practical reality of people’s lives
2. Toxic supply of unregulated drugs and growing risk of drug-related harms
Since 2016 there have been more than 30,000 opioid toxicity deaths in Canada, an accelerating crisis that is claiming lives in communities across the country. In 2021 , Toronto Public Health reported 574 opioid-related deaths. As recent research from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario shows, there has been an increase in stimulants contributing to opioid-related deaths, the circumstances surrounding drug-related harms have been changing significantly, and there is an urgent need for harm reduction services that respond to the diverse needs of people who use drugs.
In Toronto, many harm reduction services are available, but limited. Supervised consumption services (SCS) are contained to the downtown core; don’t always accommodate the range of drugs used and varying effects they have on the mind and body; and often don’t include vital drug checking services, which help people make more informed decisions about their drug use. The few options for safer supply (prescribed alternatives to the illicit drug market) have long waitlists and are limited to opioids.
In addition, many people providing support do not have lived experience of drug use, which can limit the full potential of these services. As one Casey House client expressed, “you want someone who ‘speaks your language’” when accessing care.
Actions for the City of Toronto:
Increase and improve low-barrier access to:
Safer supplyprograms, including for drugs beyond opioids
Safe spaces for substance use beyond the downtown core, that tailor services to different types of drugs (stimulants and opioids) and different modes of drug use (injection and inhalation)
Drug checking services, both within and beyond supervised consumption services, on a permanent basis
Mental health and substance use treatment services that don’t require abstinence from drug use
Engage more people with lived experience of substance use to provide support for, and build trust with, people who use drugs, and update best practices for people working in these peer support roles
3. Criminalization of drugs and the people who use them
While substance use is a health issue, it is treated as a criminal justice issue in Canada which creates barriers to health services, particularly for people living in deep poverty. It leads health care providers to require that people stop using drugs in order to receive care; deters people from accessing services and supports which would build their resilience and improve their well-being; and drives the inevitable market of illegal drugs which have become increasingly toxic. Moreover, federal drug policy is rooted in colonialism and racism, not in science or public health, and disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous communities.
In Toronto, promising work is underway to address this systemic barrier: Toronto Public Health’s request to Health Canada to decriminalize illicit drug possession is a decisive policy action. Allowing the possession of drugs for personal use is imperative for decreasing stigma, creating pathways to health care, and improving health outcomes for people who use drugs. Equally critical is how policy change is implemented: people who use substances need to feel safe, supported, and respected, and all front-line service providers and first responders must be well-equipped to operate in a new environment that allows for personal drug possession.
Actions for the City of Toronto:
Equip service providers and first responders with the training and education to embrace a trauma-informed approach that:
Accepts and understands the impact of trauma on one’s health and well-being
Provides an opportunity for people to express their needs and experiences
Cultivates safety in every interaction to build trusting relationships with the community
Equip service providers and first responders with the training and education to gain a strong understanding of:
The realities of drug use (i.e. types of substances, quantities for personal use, recognize paraphernalia)
The impact that different drugs can have on different people (i.e. tolerance levels, reactions to various substances)
Optimal supports and services for immediate, crisis intervention
The difference between ‘sharing drugs’ for personal use and ‘trafficking’, to ensure that people who use substances are not targeted
In the Toronto Drug Strategy, re-define the pillar of “enforcement” to focus on: protecting people from a toxic drug supply; reducing the harms of substance use, including stigma and discrimination; community-led solutions to respond to mental health crises and wellness checks; and respecting the health, dignity and human rights of people who use drugs
Casey House recognizes and acknowledges that systemic inequities deeply affect our clients, and believes it is our responsibility to advocate for compassionate and socially-just health care. Our advocacy seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent optimal health, and improve the well-being of all people living with or at risk of HIV. To learn more, visit Advocacy.
The first annual sacred bundle feast of the drums took place at Casey House, September 22, 2022. This special occasion brought together sacred drums and their caretakers from eight local Toronto hospitals and special guests to participate in the feast. Each hospital had been gifted a drum for traditional healing by the Toronto Central Regional Indigenous Cancer Program (TCR-ICP) for Indigenous community members, staff, peers, volunteers to use in ceremony and spiritual practices.
After a welcome from Casey House CEO Joanne Simons, the ceremony began with an opening prayer and smudge from traditional knowledge keeper Elder Kawennanoron Cindy White and Oshkaawbewis (helper), Christine Monague, which was accompanied by traditional ceremony songs and drumming from Rod Michano. Elder Cindy smudged all the sacred items, then honoured each one with tobacco. She explained that Indigenous worldview says the “medicine that you need grows around you.”
Next, Elder Cindy explained that this ceremony was to say thank you to the drums for the work that has been done and to prepare for the next cycle. Alongside Indigenous patient navigator, Leonard Benoit, Elder Cindy spoke about the tools needed to find the way back to the creator, to reestablish a connection with the one that made us. While the drum represents the heartbeat of mother earth, the rattle calls in the spirit, and a pipe helps communicate with the Creator.
An important part of the ceremony was offering two new sacred items to each hospital’s bundle: a rattle and a copper cup. Together, Leonard and Elder Cindy dipped feathers and an eagle wing into cedar water and sprinkled it on each drum and rattle. Each hospital has a designated staff who is drum keeper is responsible for the care and access of the sacred bundle. After the new sacred items were blessed, each bundle returned to their carrier and the Elder offered a song in honour of the bundles.
This was the first time all the drums had been brought together; Casey House was honoured to host the inaugural bundle feast. Going forward, each hospital will be responsible for hosting the bundle feast yearly.
The drum and sacred bundle are part of Casey House’s commitment to build relationships and improve the holistic care and experience of Indigenous clients, community members, and staff. The TCR-ICP understands the important role(s) that Indigenous healing practices and ceremonies have, which can impact the health and healing of the Indigenous community. Therefore, the TCR-ICP works to build capacity amongst local hospitals to provide Indigenous medicine in conjunction with traditional western healing practices.
Casey House is committed to supporting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada final report’s ‘Calls to Action’, including incorporating Indigenous healing practices into service delivery and organizational practices.
Thousands of items from the Casey House archives have now been unearthed and documented thanks to our spring archival resident, Melissa Bessie. Melissa, a second-year graduate student at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Photography Preservation and Collections Management Program, whose research focuses on the visual representations of HIV during the early years of the HIV epidemic, with specific emphasis on how the Casey House archives offers a different perspective of this part of our history – one that deviates from the common visual representations that we see in public media formats such as photojournalism, film, and contemporary art.
Melissa meticulously organized and catalogued the hospital’s collection of over 13,000 items spanning from 1987 to 2014. These range from memory books, newspapers, DVDs/CDs, event catalogues, annual reports, loose photos, and more. Most notably, over 1,190 photographs were digitized into an accessible format. These images uncover the rich history of our organization. They span through numerous past events such as Art With Heart, DQ, galas, Laughing Matters, Pride, and other fundraisers. Additionally, these images recognize the vast community of people who have uplifted Casey House throughout the years. From staff, volunteers, and drag performers, to celebrities both local and international, and of course, our lead founder June Callwood. Between day-to-day operations and large-scale events, there is rarely a dull moment at Casey House.
Photographs of staff and clients dressed up in Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations and gift swaps, and even summer barbecues are pictured throughout the collection. These are shared experiences that many of us can relate to. While looking at these photographs, it’s easy to forget that you’re looking at a hospital’s archive and not a family photo album. The image content depicted in the photographs help humanize this institutional collection, where one would expect to see images that are more clinical and sterile, as opposed to the warm and family-like photographs found throughout the Casey House archives.
–Melissa Bessie, archival resident, “Casey House Archives: A Report of Findings”
Thank you to Melissa Bessie for her phenomenal work! This newly revitalized archive will be a great asset as we continue to reflect and build upon Casey House’s story. We are grateful to all our supporters throughout the years who have contributed to Casey House’s legacy of compassionate care for those living with and at risk of HIV. Check out our Instagram account, where we have been sharing photos from our archives each week as a part of a #ThrowbackThursday series.
Opening Day Ceremonies, 1988
10th Anniversary Event, 1998
The Show Goes On Benefit, Jack Layton, c. 1980s-1990s
Princess Diana visits Casey House, October 25, 1991
